Taiwan has signed a cooperation agreement with the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Secretariat to continue its ongoing support of the organization from next year to 2027, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced yesterday.
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien Chung-kwang (田中光) and a representative from the PIF Secretariat signed the pact during the annual Taiwan/Republic of China-Forum Countries Dialogue in Tonga on Friday, the ministry said in a news release.
It did not provide other details on the three-year pact, including how much financial support is involved, saying only that the deal “serves as a concrete demonstration of Taiwan’s commitment and support toward the development of the Pacific region.”
Photo: EPA-EFE
The meeting was the 29th edition of the Taiwan/Republic of China-Forum Countries Dialogue organized by the PIF Secretariat.
Marshallese President Hilda Heine and PIF Secretariat Deputy Secretary-General of Governance Desna Solofa cohosted the meeting, which was also attended by representatives from Palau and Tuvalu, two of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Pacific, the ministry said.
Tien was leading a delegation to visit Tonga to attend the meeting, which is being held alongside the annual PIF summit, which ran from Monday to Friday last week in Tonga.
Despite being a nonmember in the 18-member PIF, an intergovernmental organization, Taiwan has been an active participant at the annual summit as a “development partner” since 1993.
Nonmembers including China, the US, Japan, Canada and the EU also participate in the annual forum and other PIF events as “dialogue partners.”
Over the years, Taiwan has supported projects across the Pacific, including in agriculture, education, medical care, public health, information and communications technology, women’s empowerment, clean energy and basic infrastructure, improving the well-being of people in the region, the foreign ministry said.
During this year’s summit, the Solomon Islands, a former Taiwanese ally that switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 2019, proposed preventing Taiwan from attending FIP events, allegedly under instructions from China, it said.
The proposal was rejected with the support of Taiwan’s three allies in the PIF, namely the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, as well as Australia and New Zealand, it said.
However, a PIF communique released at the conclusion of the summit that initially mentioned support for Taiwan was later withdrawn and republished with mention of Taiwan removed, due to pressure from China.
The ministry condemned China for its “irrational behavior” that undermines regional peace and stability, while calling on like-minded countries to keep close tabs on Beijing’s actions and safeguard the stable development of Pacific island nations.
It added that the communique would not affect Taiwan’s status in PIF or its right of participation in its events, and it thanked Taiwan’s diplomatic allies and like-minded countries for their support of the country’s continued participation in the PIF.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫), spokeswoman Yang Chih-yu (楊智伃) and Legislator Hsieh Lung-chieh (謝龍介) would be summoned by police for questioning for leading an illegal assembly on Thursday evening last week, Minister of the Interior Liu Shyh-fang (劉世芳) said today. The three KMT officials led an assembly outside the Taipei City Prosecutors’ Office, a restricted area where public assembly is not allowed, protesting the questioning of several KMT staff and searches of KMT headquarters and offices in a recall petition forgery case. Chu, Yang and Hsieh are all suspected of contravening the Assembly and Parade Act (集會遊行法) by holding
PRAISE: Japanese visitor Takashi Kubota said the Taiwanese temple architecture images showcased in the AI Art Gallery were the most impressive displays he saw Taiwan does not have an official pavilion at the World Expo in Osaka, Japan, because of its diplomatic predicament, but the government-backed Tech World pavilion is drawing interest with its unique recreations of works by Taiwanese artists. The pavilion features an artificial intelligence (AI)-based art gallery showcasing works of famous Taiwanese artists from the Japanese colonial period using innovative technologies. Among its main simulated displays are Eastern gouache paintings by Chen Chin (陳進), Lin Yu-shan (林玉山) and Kuo Hsueh-hu (郭雪湖), who were the three young Taiwanese painters selected for the East Asian Painting exhibition in 1927. Gouache is a water-based
Taiwan would welcome the return of Honduras as a diplomatic ally if its next president decides to make such a move, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. “Of course, we would welcome Honduras if they want to restore diplomatic ties with Taiwan after their elections,” Lin said at a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee, when asked to comment on statements made by two of the three Honduran presidential candidates during the presidential campaign in the Central American country. Taiwan is paying close attention to the region as a whole in the wake of a
OFF-TARGET: More than 30,000 participants were expected to take part in the Games next month, but only 6,550 foreign and 19,400 Taiwanese athletes have registered Taipei city councilors yesterday blasted the organizers of next month’s World Masters Games over sudden timetable and venue changes, which they said have caused thousands of participants to back out of the international sporting event, among other organizational issues. They also cited visa delays and political interference by China as reasons many foreign athletes are requesting refunds for the event, to be held from May 17 to 30. Jointly organized by the Taipei and New Taipei City governments, the games have been rocked by numerous controversies since preparations began in 2020. Taipei City Councilor Lin Yen-feng (林延鳳) said yesterday that new measures by