The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed gratitude to the Slovakian parliament for its support of Taiwan’s participation in the upcoming World Health Assembly (WHA) as an observer.
The Slovakian parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee and Health Committee each passed a resolution affirming Taiwan’s effort against the COVID-19 pandemic and supporting Taipei’s observer status at the 75th WHA — the decisionmaking body of the WHO — that is to take place from May 22 to 28.
Taiwan attended annual WHA meetings as an observer from 2009 to 2016, when relations between Taipei and Beijing were better under the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) government. Since 2017, the WHO has refused to invite Taiwan to the assembly due to opposition from China.
Photo: Reuters
Separately, the government has pledged to donate US$500,000 to Somaliland to help the victims of a massive fire that ripped through the country’s biggest market early this month, the ministry said yesterday.
The fire at the Waheen market, a major trade and financial hub, on April 1 has cost Somaliland about US$2 billion, or 60 percent of the country’s GDP, al-Jazeera reported.
The blaze has affected the livelihoods of thousands of people, and the ministry pledged to offer emergency humanitarian assistance to those affected, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said.
Photo: AFP
The Somaliland government expressed its gratitude for the donation and said it would arrange a public ceremony at which the funds would be officially handed over, Ou said.
The government would also work with other like-minded countries to help Somaliland rebuild the market, she said.
The Somaliland government has said that 1,000 shops, and 4,200 stalls and tables at the market were destroyed in the fire, affecting more than 17,000 people who directly relied on the market for their livelihood.
Twenty-seven people were hospitalized with severe injuries.
Somaliland declared independence from Somalia in 1991 after years of conflict. It has offices in about a dozen countries, according to its foreign ministry’s Web site, but does not have formal diplomatic relations with any nation.
Relations between Taiwan and Somaliland have warmed over the years, with Taipei opening a representative office in Somaliland’s capital, Hargeisa, on Aug. 17, 2020, and Somaliland authorities opening a reciprocal office in Taipei on Sept. 9 of the same year.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
A former officer in China’s People’s Liberation Army (PLA) who witnessed the aftermath of the 1989 Tiananmen Square massacre has warned that Taiwan could face a similar fate if China attempts to unify the country by force. Li Xiaoming (李曉明), who was deployed to Beijing as a junior officer during the crackdown, said Taiwanese people should study the massacre carefully, because it offers a glimpse of what Beijing is willing to do to suppress dissent. “What happened in Tiananmen Square could happen in Taiwan too,” Li told CNA in a May 22 interview, ahead of the massacre’s 36th anniversary. “If Taiwanese students or
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