Reports questioning Taiwan-Tuvalu ties are nothing but rumors, Ambassador to Tuvalu Andrew Lin (林東亨) said yesterday, adding that the Pacific island nation would continue to maintain strong, steady ties with Taiwan after Tuvalu’s elections today.
In an article last Friday by the Weekend Australian, Tuvaluan Ambassador to Taiwan Bikenibeu Paeniu was cited as saying that “sources from Tuvalu” said it could follow Nauru and switch its diplomatic recognition to Beijing after its elections today.
Paeniu’s nephew, Tuvaluan Minister of Finance Seve Paeniu, later told Reuters that “Tuvalu expects to review its diplomatic ties with Taiwan after Friday’s election.”
Photo courtesy of the Taiwan Embassy in Tuvalu via CNA
Tuvaluan President Kausea Natano telephoned President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) after Nauru switched recognition and “guaranteed” the stability of Taiwan-Tuvalu relations, Lin said.
Tuvaluan Minister of Foreign Affairs Panapasi Nelsone also delivered assurances of the stable ties when congratulating president-elect William Lai (賴清德), he added.
Tuvaluan Speaker of the Parliament Samuelu Penitala Teo had sent a letter to Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) expressing the same sentiment, Lin added.
Tuvalu is holding congressional elections today, in which most of the incumbents are expected to be re-elected, Lin said.
Rumors of “shaky Taiwan-Tuvalu ties” seek to undermine the relationship, he said.
China is attempting to oppress Taiwan by spreading disinformation, he said, advising Taiwanese to be aware of such efforts and not to allow such tactics to sway their trust in the government.
With no political parties in Tuvalu, the newly elected lawmakers are to enter talks and develop factions, with the largest group forming the government and electing the prime minister.
Lin said the Tuvaluan government told the Ministry of Foreign Affairs that the comments were Seve Paneiu’s personal view and did not represent Tuvalu.
The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) is pushing for residents of Kinmen and Lienchiang counties to acquire Chinese ID cards in a bid to “blur national identities,” a source said. The efforts are part of China’s promotion of a “Kinmen-Xiamen twin-city living sphere, including a cross-strait integration pilot zone in China’s Fujian Province,” the source said. “The CCP is already treating residents of these outlying islands as Chinese citizens. It has also intensified its ‘united front’ efforts and infiltration of those islands,” the source said. “There is increasing evidence of espionage in Kinmen, particularly of Taiwanese military personnel being recruited by the
ENTERTAINERS IN CHINA: Taiwanese generally back the government being firm on infiltration and ‘united front’ work,’ the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association said Most people support the government probing Taiwanese entertainers for allegedly “amplifying” the Chinese Communist Party’s propaganda, a survey conducted by the Asia-Pacific Elite Interchange Association showed on Friday. Public support stood at 56.4 percent for action by the Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Culture to enhance scrutiny on Taiwanese performers and artists who have developed careers in China while allegedly adhering to the narrative of Beijing’s propaganda that denigrates or harms Taiwanese sovereignty, the poll showed. Thirty-three percent did not support the action, it showed. The poll showed that 51.5 percent of respondents supported the government’s investigation into Taiwanese who have
South Korean K-pop girl group Blackpink are to make Kaohsiung the first stop on their Asia tour when they perform at Kaohsiung National Stadium on Oct. 18 and 19, the event organizer said yesterday. The upcoming performances will also make Blackpink the first girl group ever to perform twice at the stadium. It will be the group’s third visit to Taiwan to stage a concert. The last time Blackpink held a concert in the city was in March 2023. Their first concert in Taiwan was on March 3, 2019, at NTSU Arena (Linkou Arena). The group’s 2022-2023 “Born Pink” tour set a
A Philippine official has denied allegations of mistreatment of crew members during Philippine authorities’ boarding of a Taiwanese fishing vessel on Monday. Philippine Bureau of Fisheries and Aquatic Resources (BFAR) spokesman Nazario Briguera on Friday said that BFAR law enforcement officers “observed the proper boarding protocols” when they boarded the Taiwanese vessel Sheng Yu Feng (昇漁豐號) and towed it to Basco Port in the Philippines. Briguera’s comments came a day after the Taiwanese captain of the Sheng Yu Feng, Chen Tsung-tun (陳宗頓), held a news conference in Pingtung County and accused the Philippine authorities of mistreatment during the boarding of
RSS