The nation would continue to abide by its cross-strait policy of maintaining the “status quo” even as Beijing exerts greater pressure by stealing away Taiwan’s allies and barring the nation from participating in this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) in Geneva, Switzerland, an anonymous source said yesterday.
Over the first three months of the year, China constricted Taiwan’s international space in 10 incidents, adding to 49 such incidents last year, 18 in 2016 and 13 in 2015, Ministry of Foreign Affairs data showed.
China’s tactics include forcing Taiwanese diplomatic allies to switch their recognition from Taipei to Beijing; barring the nation from the WHA, the International Civil Aviation Organization, the Interpol and the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change; unilaterally launching northbound flights on the M503 aviation route, which is close to the median line of the Taiwan Strait; and coercing other nations to deport Taiwanese fraud suspects to China for trial, the source said.
The Hakka Affairs Council was in February to attend a cultural exchange event in Mauritius, but the hotel canceled the event, citing pressure from the local Chinese embassy.
Similarly, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office in Jordan was last month invited to the International City Festival, but the host removed Republic of China national flags from Taiwan’s booth due to Chinese pressure.
More examples can be cited that illustrate how China forces other nations to observe its “one China” principle, yet Taiwan is garnering more support from the international community, the source said.
For example, US President Donald Trump in March signed the Taiwan Travel Act, and the US White House earlier this month said that China’s attempt to control the name by which US airlines refer to Taiwan is “Orwellian nonsense.”
The EU and the US, Japan and other nations that are friendly to Taiwan have expressed the intention to argue on behalf of Taiwan at this year’s WHA.
Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe expressed support for the nation by writing a piece of calligraphy that read, “Taiwan, good luck,” which he posted on his official Facebook page after Hualien was rocked by a deadly earthquake in February.
President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) pledge to maintain the cross-strait “status quo” aims to attract more international allies by letting them know that it is Beijing that continues sabotaging the peaceful “status quo,” the source said.
The greater the pressure from China, the more the government will pursue this policy, the source said, adding that Tsai’s administration would not concede to Chinese pressure and change its cross-strait policy.
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
WEATHER Typhoon forming: CWA A tropical depression is expected to form into a typhoon as early as today, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, adding that the storm’s path remains uncertain. Before the weekend, it would move toward the Philippines, the agency said. Some time around Monday next week, it might reach a turning point, either veering north toward waters east of Taiwan or continuing westward across the Philippines, the CWA said. Meanwhile, the eye of Typhoon Kalmaegi was 1,310km south-southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, as of 2am yesterday, it said. The storm is forecast to move through central
UNKNOWN TRAJECTORY: The storm could move in four possible directions, with the fourth option considered the most threatening to Taiwan, meteorologist Lin De-en said A soon-to-be-formed tropical storm east of the Philippines could begin affecting Taiwan on Wednesday next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. The storm, to be named Fung-wong (鳳凰), is forecast to approach Taiwan on Tuesday next week and could begin affecting the weather in Taiwan on Wednesday, CWA forecaster Huang En-hung (黃恩鴻) said, adding that its impact might be amplified by the combined effect with the northeast monsoon. As of 2pm yesterday, the system’s center was 2,800km southeast of Oluanbi (鵝鑾鼻). It was moving northwest at 18kph. Meteorologist Lin De-en (林得恩) on Facebook yesterday wrote that the would-be storm is surrounded by
RSS