Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr congratulated president-elect William Lai (賴清德) on his election victory during a phone call on Wednesday, saying bilateral ties between Palau and Taiwan remained robust.
The phone call, which was made public in a press release issued by the Presidential Office, came two days after another Pacific island nation, Nauru, switched diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing, leaving Taiwan with 12 UN member states as allies.
Taipei has criticized Beijing for poaching one of its Pacific allies, calling the move, which occurred just two days after Lai was elected president, “a retaliatory act against democratic values and a clear challenge to the stability of the international order.”
Photo: AP
According to the press release, Whipps Jr offered his congratulations to Lai, who is currently vice president, and his running mate Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) on winning the presidential race, noting that the election showcased “the firm support of the people of Taiwan for freedom and democracy.”
This year, Taiwan and Palau are to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations, which have been robust and steadily growing, the Palauan president said.
Whipps Jr pledged his country’s support for Taiwan, saying both sides would continue to uphold democracy and the rule of law, stand in solidarity with each other and render mutual support.
Meanwhile, Lai told Whipps Jr that Taiwan looks forward to enhancing existing bilateral collaborations on public health, agriculture and fishing, green energy, infrastructure development and climate change, among others, the press release said.
Exchanges with Palau are of great importance to Taiwan, Lai said, adding that the close ties shared by the two sides is bound by their shared adherence to democracy.
Lai also invited Whipps Jr to attend his inauguration ceremony slated for May, and the Palauan president responded by saying he looked forward to traveling to Taiwan for the occasion.
Thirty-five earthquakes have exceeded 5.5 on the Richter scale so far this year, the most in 14 years, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said on Facebook on Thursday. A large earthquake in Hualien County on April 3 released five times as much the energy as the 921 Earthquake on Sept. 21, 1999, the agency said in its latest earthquake report for this year. Hualien County has had the most national earthquake alerts so far this year at 64, with Yilan County second with 23 and Changhua County third with nine, the agency said. The April 3 earthquake was what caused the increase in
INTIMIDATION: In addition to the likely military drills near Taiwan, China has also been waging a disinformation campaign to sow division between Taiwan and the US Beijing is poised to encircle Taiwan proper in military exercise “Joint Sword-2024C,” starting today or tomorrow, as President William Lai (賴清德) returns from his visit to diplomatic allies in the Pacific, a national security official said yesterday. Commenting on condition of anonymity, the official said that multiple intelligence sources showed that China is “highly likely” to launch new drills around Taiwan. Although the drills’ scale is unknown, there is little doubt that they are part of the military activities China initiated before Lai’s departure, they said. Beijing at the same time is conducting information warfare by fanning skepticism of the US and
Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is unlikely to attempt an invasion of Taiwan during US president-elect Donald Trump’s time in office, Taiwanese and foreign academics said on Friday. Trump is set to begin his second term early next year. Xi’s ambition to establish China as a “true world power” has intensified over the years, but he would not initiate an invasion of Taiwan “in the near future,” as his top priority is to maintain the regime and his power, not unification, Tokyo Woman’s Christian University distinguished visiting professor and contemporary Chinese politics expert Akio Takahara said. Takahara made the comment at a
DEFENSE: This month’s shipment of 38 modern M1A2T tanks would begin to replace the US-made M60A3 and indigenous CM11 tanks, whose designs date to the 1980s The M1A2T tanks that Taiwan expects to take delivery of later this month are to spark a “qualitative leap” in the operational capabilities of the nation’s armored forces, a retired general told the Liberty Times (sister paper of the Taipei Times) in an interview published yesterday. On Tuesday, the army in a statement said it anticipates receiving the first batch of 38 M1A2T Abrams main battle tanks from the US, out of 108 tanks ordered, in the coming weeks. The M1 Abrams main battle tank is a generation ahead of the Taiwanese army’s US-made M60A3 and indigenously developed CM11 tanks, which have