The decision to restore the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji to its former name, which includes the word Taiwan, was reversed due to pressure from China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
Fiji on March 24 issued a note verbale to the office, saying that its name was changed to “Trade Mission of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Republic of Fiji,” retroactively effective from March 15.
However, “under peremptory pressure from China,” the government of Fiji changed the name of the office back to the “Taipei Trade Office in Fiji,” the ministry said in a news release.
Photo: Chen Chih-chu, Taipei Times
The ministry “fiercely condemns China’s actions of suppressing Taiwan and belittling its sovereign status in the international arena again,” it said.
The Chinese embassy in Fiji protested the initial name change and threatened to take retaliatory measures, the ministry said.
Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ma Zhaoxu (馬朝旭) exerted pressure on Fiji when he visited the country in April, it said.
The Fijian government succumbed to Chinese pressure after discussing the issue in several Cabinet meetings, it said, calling it “deeply regretful.”
Taiwan has been promoting exchanges and cooperation in agriculture and fisheries, healthcare, education and talent cultivation in Fiji, benefiting Fijians with concrete projects since the office was launched in 1971, the ministry said.
Adhering to the values of freedom and democracy, Taiwan would continue to “share successful experiences with countries in the Pacific region, work together to maintain regional peace and stability, and strive for Taiwan’s due international status,” the ministry added.
Beijing previously pressured Fiji to change the office’s name to the Taipei Trade Office in Fiji in 2018.
Taiwan typically uses the term “Taipei” instead of its official name “Republic of China (Taiwan)” when naming its de facto embassies in most nations, mainly because the host nation adheres to a “one China” policy.
Fijian Prime Minister Sitiveni Rabuka has since December last year been seeking to alter his predecessor’s pro-China approach since taking over from former Fijian prime minister Voreqe Bainimarama, who was in office for 16 years.
Rabuka in January announced that his government would end a police training and exchange agreement with China.
The agreement “hangs in the balance,” as the Chinese embassy said it cannot understand why the deal cannot be continued, local media FBC News reported on Tuesday.
Whether Fiji can unilaterally terminate the agreement remains to be seen.
Additional reporting by CNA
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) departed for Europe on Friday night, with planned stops in Lithuania and Denmark. Tsai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport on Friday night, but did not speak to reporters before departing. Tsai wrote on social media later that the purpose of the trip was to reaffirm the commitment of Taiwanese to working with democratic allies to promote regional security and stability, upholding freedom and democracy, and defending their homeland. She also expressed hope that through joint efforts, Taiwan and Europe would continue to be partners building up economic resilience on the global stage. The former president was to first
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not