While Taiwan’s ties with all 12 countries it has official diplomatic relations with are relatively stable, “extra attention” needs to be paid to Haiti and the Vatican, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said.
During an interview with an online political talk show on Sunday, Lin said that Haiti has been rocked by gang violence and social unrest since former Haitian president Jovenel Moise was assassinated in July 2021.
However, Lin said that Taiwan continues to stand with Haiti and was one of the last nations to close its embassy during the unrest.
Photo: Reuters
US Secretary of State Marco Rubio has placed high importance on Latin America and the Caribbean since taking office, he said.
“So I believe Taiwan and the US can work together in this regard,” he added.
Lin said the Holy See has been pushing for closer relations with China during Pope Francis’ tenure.
The Holy See is the only sovereign European entity that has official diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (ROC), the official name of Taiwan.
Relations were established in 1942 when the ROC government was based in the Chinese city of Chongqing.
In 2018, Beijing and the Vatican struck a deal to work together on appointing Chinese bishops, which was renewed for the third time in October last year.
However, Beijing has repeatedly contravened the agreement by unilaterally appointing bishops.
In an interview with the monthly magazine America, which was published on Feb. 28, Archbishop Paul Gallagher, the Vatican’s secretary for relations with states, said the Holy See remains committed to dialogue with China on the appointment of bishops in China.
“We believe that it is a process of continuing this dialogue, working on these questions of the appointment of bishops, trying to make this agreement work better, and slowly, hopefully, by doing so, building up a sense of trust and understanding between the Holy See and the People’s Republic of China [PRC],” he said.
In response to Gallagher’s comments, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that it continues to closely monitor the ongoing dialogue between the PRC and the Holy See.
The ministry said it understands that the Vatican hopes to improve the plight of Chinese Catholics via dialogue with the PRC.
Taiwan would continue to work with the Holy See and the Catholic Church to enhance humanitarian cooperation and jointly safeguard the core value of religious freedom and in so doing, enhance bilateral ties, the ministry added.
Three batches of banana sauce imported from the Philippines were intercepted at the border after they were found to contain the banned industrial dye Orange G, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) said yesterday. From today through Sept. 2 next year, all seasoning sauces from the Philippines are to be subject to the FDA’s strictest border inspection, meaning 100 percent testing for illegal dyes before entry is allowed, it said in a statement. Orange G is an industrial coloring agent that is not permitted for food use in Taiwan or internationally, said Cheng Wei-chih (鄭維智), head of the FDA’s Northern Center for
LOOKING NORTH: The base would enhance the military’s awareness of activities in the Bashi Channel, which China Coast Guard ships have been frequenting, an expert said The Philippine Navy on Thursday last week inaugurated a forward operating base in the country’s northern most province of Batanes, which at 185km from Taiwan would be strategically important in a military conflict in the Taiwan Strait. The Philippine Daily Inquirer quoted Northern Luzon Command Commander Lieutenant General Fernyl Buca as saying that the base in Mahatao would bolster the country’s northern defenses and response capabilities. The base is also a response to the “irregular presence this month of armed” of China Coast Guard vessels frequenting the Bashi Channel in the Luzon Strait just south of Taiwan, the paper reported, citing a
UNDER PRESSURE: The report cited numerous events that have happened this year to show increased coercion from China, such as military drills and legal threats The Chinese Communist Party (CCP) aims to reinforce its “one China” principle and the idea that Taiwan belongs to the People’s Republic of China by hosting celebratory events this year for the 80th anniversary of the end of World War II, the “retrocession” of Taiwan and the establishment of the UN, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said in its latest report to the Legislative Yuan. Taking advantage of the significant anniversaries, Chinese officials are attempting to assert China’s sovereignty over Taiwan through interviews with international news media and cross-strait exchange events, the report said. Beijing intends to reinforce its “one China” principle
A total lunar eclipse, an astronomical event often referred to as a “blood moon,” would be visible to sky watchers in Taiwan starting just before midnight on Sunday night, the Taipei Astronomical Museum said. The phenomenon is also called “blood moon” due to the reddish-orange hue it takes on as the Earth passes directly between the sun and the moon, completely blocking direct sunlight from reaching the lunar surface. The only light is refracted by the Earth’s atmosphere, and its red wavelengths are bent toward the moon, illuminating it in a dramatic crimson light. Describing the event as the most important astronomical phenomenon
RSS