Staff writer, with CNA, NEW YORK
Nicaraguan Minister of Foreign Affairs Denis Moncada spoke in support of Taiwan’s inclusion in the UN on the last day of the General Debate on Monday.
Near the end of his 24-minute address, Moncada said it was essential to apply the “principle of universality” on humanitarian grounds amid the COVID-19 pandemic so that Taiwan can participate in the corresponding mechanisms and meetings under the UN system.
Photo: AP
Nicaragua was the 13th of Taiwan’s 15 diplomatic allies in the UN to voice support for the nation’s inclusion in the organization during the UN General Assembly’s 76th session in New York.
The number was the highest since 2017, when 15 of 20 diplomatic allies spoke up in support of Taiwan during the General Debate.
The only two allies that did not speak up for Taiwan this year were Honduras and the Holy See.
Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez did not mention Taiwan in his address on Wednesday. It was the sixth consecutive year that the Central American ally did not mention Taiwan at the annual event.
Instead, Honduras each year sends a letter to the UN secretary-general to support Taiwan’s participation in the UN.
The Holy See, Taiwan’s only official diplomatic ally in Europe, is not a UN member, but an observer and rarely speaks on political issues at UN meetings.
Taiwan also received indirect support from countries with which it does not have formal diplomatic relations.
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga told the General Assembly on Saturday that there should not be a “geographical blank space” when the world deals with issues at the World Health Assembly, as all countries and regions should be able to share knowledge in a free and transparent fashion.
Japanese officials use the phrase “geographical blank space” when referring to Taiwan at international events.
AGING: While Japan has 22 submarines, Taiwan only operates four, two of which were commissioned by the US in 1945 and 1946, and transferred to Taiwan in 1973 Taiwan would need at least 12 submarines to reach modern fleet capabilities, CSBC Corp, Taiwan chairman Chen Cheng-hung (陳政宏) said in an interview broadcast on Friday, citing a US assessment. CSBC is testing the nation’s first indigenous defense submarine, the Hai Kun (海鯤, Narwhal), which is scheduled to be delivered to the navy next month or in July. The Hai Kun has completed torpedo-firing tests and is scheduled to undergo overnight sea trials, Chen said on an SET TV military affairs program. Taiwan would require at least 12 submarines to establish a modern submarine force after assessing the nation’s operational environment and defense
A white king snake that frightened passengers and caused a stir on a Taipei MRT train on Friday evening has been claimed by its owner, who would be fined, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. A person on Threads posted that he thought he was lucky to find an empty row of seats on Friday after boarding a train on the Bannan (Blue) Line, only to spot a white snake with black stripes after sitting down. Startled, he jumped up, he wrote, describing the encounter as “terrifying.” “Taipei’s rat control plan: Release snakes on the metro,” one person wrote in reply, referring
The coast guard today said that it had disrupted "illegal" operations by a Chinese research ship in waters close to the nation and driven it away, part of what Taipei sees a provocative pattern of China's stepped up maritime activities. The coast guard said that it on Thursday last week detected the Chinese ship Tongji (同濟號), which was commissioned only last year, 29 nautical miles (54km) southeast of the southern tip of Taiwan, although just outside restricted waters. The ship was observed lowering ropes into the water, suspected to be the deployment of scientific instruments for "illegal" survey operations, and the coast
An inauguration ceremony was held yesterday for the Danjiang Bridge, the world’s longest single-mast asymmetric cable-stayed bridge, ahead of its official opening to traffic on Tuesday, marking a major milestone after nearly three decades of planning and construction. At the ceremony in New Taipei City attended by President William Lai (賴清德), Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰), Minister of Transportation and Communications Chen Shih-kai (陳世凱) and New Taipei City Mayor Hou Yu-ih (侯友宜), the bridge was hailed as both an engineering landmark and a long-awaited regional transport link connecting Tamsui (淡水) and Bali (八里)
RSS