President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) telephoned new Nauru President Marcus Stephen and new Solomon Islands Prime Minister Derek Sikua on Thursday to congratulate them on their election victories, a Presidential Office news release said.
The press statement said Chen invited the new leaders of the nation's two South Pacific diplomatic allies to visit Taiwan in the near future to exchange views on matters of mutual interest, including measures to expand bilateral cooperation.
The statement said Chen assured both the Nauruan president and the Solomon Islands' prime minister that his administration would continue various cooperative projects with the countries.
He also called for continued support from the two countries for the nation's bid to join major international organizations, including the UN.
Stephen told Chen that he values his country's ties with Taiwan and would work to increase cooperation in various fields. Stephen also expressed his gratitude for the nation's longtime support and aid to his country, the Presidential Office statement said.
Meanwhile, Sikua expressed hope that Chen would either attend in person or name a special envoy to attend celebrations of the 40th anniversary of the founding of his country, scheduled to be held on Jan. 31.
Sikua also told Chen that the Solomon Islands would like to host the 2009 Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit and that he would do his utmost to help Taiwan join the UN and the WHO.
The third Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit is scheduled to take place in Kaohsiung next year.
Chen invited Sikua and Stephen to attend the meeting and expressed his hope that Taiwan and the Solomon Islands would wrap up talks on a free trade agreement as soon as possible and ink the deal.
A study published by online booking platform Expedia revealed searches for travel to Taipei have ballooned 2,786 percent following the lifting of COVID-19 pandemic travel restrictions due to the city being a “designation dupe” for Seoul. The TikTok trend for duping — referring to substituting a designation for a more inexpensive alternative — helped propel interest in Taipei, it said in a consumer survey titled “Unpack ‘24,” which was conducted from September to October in 14 countries. Location dupes are “every bit as delightful as the tried-and-true places travelers love,” Expedia trend tracker Melanie Fish said of the year’s popular alternatives, which
A small-scale protest that called on the government to cancel its plan to welcome Indian migrant workers in a bid to tackle Taiwan’s labor shortage was held in Taipei yesterday. During the protest, comprised of a few dozen people staged in front of the Presidential Office on Ketagalan Boulevard, the protest’s chief initiator, a woman identified only as “Yuna” said they wanted the central government to reconsider allowing migrant workers from India to enter Taiwan. Most people in Taiwan had little knowledge about the potential plan to allow in Indian migrant workers until a report in the media last month, she
NO RELIGIOUS VISIT: The interior minister said visas were not issued for 218 applicants for a tour of Taiwan organized by a temple due to their own non-response Chinese who had sought to enter Taiwan for a religious event were not granted visas because they were not “religious personnel” and planned to visit places not listed on their group tour’s itinerary, then never supplied supplemental information upon request, the Ministry of the Interior and the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. Visas were not issued for 218 of the 239 applicants, as they did not provide additional information or explanations as requested, Minister of the Interior Lin Yu-chang (林右昌) told a committee at the legislature in Taipei. Multiple groups, including the Taiwan Matsu Fellowship, had signed a petition that sought
A military procurement announcement released on Friday shows the purchase of “air/surface” weapons bound for Taitung, likely for the newly purchased Block 70 F-16V jets still awaiting delivery. The announcement shows a NT$17.22 billion (US$548.91 million) purchase agreement signed on Nov. 13 for “aircraft air/surface weapons,” to be delivered to the air force's Seventh Tactical Flight Wing stationed at the Taitung Air Force Base. The sale is scheduled to take place over nine years, with delivery completed by Nov. 30, 2032. Considering the recipient, analysts believe they are likely air-to-air or air-to-surface missiles for the military’s 66 upgraded Block 70 F-16V jets awaiting
RSS