Slovenia is unlikely to backtrack from pro-Taiwan policies after Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa leaves office, following his electoral defeat last month, an academic said on Saturday.
Jansa, a populist who presided over warming relations between Taiwan and Slovenia, was ousted in the parliamentary elections last month by political newcomer Rober Golob.
Slovenia is unlikely to make fundamental changes to its Taiwan policy, as improving economic and cultural ties between the countries serves Ljubljana’s interests, Taiwan Study Center in Slovenia director Sasa Istenic Kotar said.
Photo: AFP
Under Slovenia: Safe, Successful, Globally Respected: The Foreign Policy Strategy of the Republic of Slovenia, published last year, the country is committed to devoting special attention to the Indo-Pacific region and deepening its cooperation with democratic countries in the region, Kotar said.
The national diplomatic and strategic policy of Slovenia is anchored to the EU’s strategy, which treats China as a systematic rival and a competitor, she said.
“I believe that the new government will follow the EU’s strategy, and that no major changes will happen,” she said, adding that the country might “keep a low profile so as to avoid angering China.”
Slovenia’s adherence to a “one China” policy and efforts to improve ties with Beijing would also continue, she said.
Kotar recently told the Global Taiwan Institute that Slovenia’s bid to obtain a non-permanent seat on the UN Security Council — for which it would need Beijing’s support — does not necessarily sink Taipei’s hope of establishing a representative office in Ljubljana.
Taiwan has representative offices in all but six of the 27 countries that make up the EU — Slovenia, Malta, Cypress, Luxembourg, Estonia and Croatia.
As the Slovenian parliament voted for Taiwan’s diplomatic presence to be called the Taipei trade office, it does not anticipate heavy opposition from Beijing, she said.
In addition, Slovenia’s interest in China has cooled after Beijing’s “16+1” bloc failed to deliver on infrastructure and trade promises, she said, adding that Slovenia’s trade deficits with China have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic.
The government considers Taiwan-Slovenia economic cooperation to have great potential, especially in renewable energy, artificial intelligence, technology, biotechnology and pharmaceuticals, she said.
“Slovenia’s trade with Taiwan lagged behind that of other central and eastern European countries, and the absence of trade offices is the most glaring obstacle in growing that relationship,” she said.
LOUD AND PROUD Taiwan might have taken a drubbing against Australia and Japan, but you might not know it from the enthusiasm and numbers of the fans Taiwan might not be expected to win the World Baseball Classic (WBC) but their fans are making their presence felt in Tokyo, with tens of thousands decked out in the team’s blue, blowing horns and singing songs. Taiwanese fans have packed out the Tokyo Dome for all three of their games so far and even threatened to drown out home team supporters when their team played Japan on Friday. They blew trumpets, chanted for their favorite players and had their own cheerleading squad who dance on a stage during the game. The team struggled to match that exuberance on the field, with
UPDATED TEST: The new rules aim to assess drivers’ awareness of risky behaviors and how they respond under certain circumstances, the Highway Bureau said Driver’s license applicants who fail to yield to pedestrians at intersections or to check blind spots, or omit pointing-and-calling procedures would fail the driving test, the Highway Bureau said yesterday. The change is set to be implemented at the end of the month, and is part of the bureau’s reform of the driving portion of the test, which has been criticized for failing to assess whether drivers can operate vehicles safely. Sedan drivers would be tested regarding yielding to pedestrians and turning their heads to check blind spots, while drivers of large vehicles would be tested on their familiarity with pointing-and-calling
Whether Japan would help defend Taiwan in case of a cross-strait conflict would depend on the US and the extent to which Japan would be allowed to act under the US-Japan Security Treaty, former Japanese minister of defense Satoshi Morimoto said. As China has not given up on the idea of invading Taiwan by force, to what extent Japan could support US military action would hinge on Washington’s intention and its negotiation with Tokyo, Morimoto said in an interview with the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) yesterday. There has to be sufficient mutual recognition of how Japan could provide
A Taiwanese man apologized on Friday after saying in a social media post that he worked with Australia to provide scouting reports on Taiwan’s team, enabling Australia’s victory in this year’s World Baseball Classic (WBC), saying it was a joke and that he did not hold any position with foreign teams or Taiwan’s sports training center. Chen Po-hao (陳柏豪) drew the rage of many Taiwan baseball fans when he posted online on Thursday night, claiming credit for Australia’s 3-0 win over Taiwan in the opening game for Pool C, saying he worked as a physical therapist with the national team and
RSS