Central Tibetan Administration leader Penpa Tsering on Monday expressed hope that Taiwan and Tibet can strengthen mutual ties.
“There are many aspects in which we can work together,” said Penpa Tsering, who in May took office as sikyong of the Tibetan government-in-exile.
“We still have to find and understand how we can work together, how we can collaborate on issues other than politics — not necessarily only politics,” he said in an interview with the Central News Agency during a three-day trip to New Delhi. “I’m really looking forward to strengthening our relationship in the future.”
He expressed the hope that Taipei would offer scholarships to Tibetan students and foster more exchanges between the two sides.
Taiwan is a good place for Tibetans to learn the Chinese language and study international relations, he said, adding that studying in the nation would help Tibetans understand China.
Saying that resolving problems between Tibet and China remains his priority while heading the exile government in Dharamshala, India, Penpa Tsering also called for dialogue between Taiwanese and Chinese authorities.
“There should be no use of force” in Taiwan, he said, adding that cross-strait violence would not benefit either side, and might escalate into a war with more powers getting involved.
“Any conflict can be resolved through negotiation or nonviolent means,” he said.
Meanwhile, Penpa Tsering said that because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Dalai Lama has no immediate plans to travel.
Asked if the Dalai Lama would like to visit Taiwan after the pandemic subsides, he did not give a definite answer.
The issue “will depend on what kind of invitation comes from Taiwan, and how negotiations are [conducted] between the Taiwanese government and us,” he said.
ANOTHER EMERGES: The CWA yesterday said this year’s fourth storm of the typhoon season had formed in the South China Sea, but was not expected to affect Taiwan Tropical Storm Gaemi has intensified slightly as it heads toward Taiwan, where it is expected to affect the country in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 8am yesterday, the 120km-radius storm was 800km southeast of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost tip, moving at 9kph northwest, the agency said. A sea warning for Gaemi could be issued tonight at the earliest, it said, adding that the storm is projected to be closest to Taiwan on Wednesday or Thursday. Gaemi’s potential effect on Taiwan remains unclear, as that would depend on its direction, radius and intensity, forecasters said. Former Weather Forecast
As COVID-19 cases in Japan have been increasing for 10 consecutive weeks, people should get vaccinated before visiting the nation, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said. The centers reported 773 hospitalizations and 124 deaths related to COVID-19 in Taiwan last week. CDC Epidemic Intelligence Center Director Guo Hung-wei (郭宏偉) on Tuesday said the number of weekly COVID-19 cases reported in Japan has been increasing since mid-May and surpassed 55,000 cases from July 8 to July 14. The average number of COVID-19 patients at Japan’s healthcare facilities that week was also 1.39 times that of the week before and KP.3 is the dominant
The Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) working group for Taiwan-related policies is likely to be upgraded to a committee-level body, a report commissioned by the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said. As Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is increasingly likely to upgrade the CCP’s Central Leading Group for Taiwan Affairs, Taiwanese authorities should prepare by researching Xi and the CCP, the report said. At the third plenary session of the 20th Central Committee of the CCP, which ended on Thursday last week, the party set a target of 2029 for the completion of some tasks, meaning that Xi is likely preparing to
US-CHINA TRADE DISPUTE: Despite Beijing’s offer of preferential treatment, the lure of China has dimmed as Taiwanese and international investors move out Japan and the US have become the favored destinations for Taiwanese graduates as China’s attraction has waned over the years, the Ministry of Labor said. According to the ministry’s latest income and employment advisory published this month, 3,215 Taiwanese university graduates from the class of 2020 went to Japan, surpassing for the first time the 2,881 graduates who went to China. A total of 2,300 graduates from the class of 2021 went to the US, compared with the 2,262 who went to China, the document showed. The trend continued for the class of 2023, of whom 1,460 went to Japan, 1,334 went to