The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday played down the attendance of two of Taiwan's diplomatic allies at an international forum in Beijing, which sparked fears of a possible rupture in relations.
The ministry in a statement said it was aware the two allied countries were sending representatives to the forum, as "the governments of our allies informed us of the situation through Taiwan's embassies in advance."
Photo: Taipei Times
It also said that the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC) is part of the forum's routine meetings worldwide, and the two officials attended in capacities that did not represent their respective governments.
Taiwan's diplomatic relations with both allies remain strong and stable, MOFA said.
Reuters early yesterday said that its reporters at the Forum of China and CELAC saw the national flags of Haiti and Saint Lucia in the main hall at the venue in the Chinese capital.
Haiti was represented by Minister of Foreign Affairs Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste and Saint Lucia by diplomat Peter Lansiquot, although the MOFA statement said that Jean-Baptiste attended as Haiti's CELAC representative, while Lansiquot was representing his political party.
The two Caribbean countries are among 12 states worldwide that recognize Taiwan.
Their presence raised concerns about the future of formal ties, especially given that other members of CELAC with diplomatic relations with Taiwan — Guatemala, Paraguay, Belize, Saint Kitts and Nevis, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines — did not attend the event.
The timing was also sensitive, coming just more than a week before the first anniversary of President William Lai's (賴清德) inauguration as president Tuesday next week, as Beijing often uses dates near important occasions in Taiwan politics to snatch away Taiwan's allies.
Records show that Haiti (in 2015) and St Lucia (in 2018) have attended at least one of the three CELAC forums in China held in the past, indicating that the presence of allies at the forum is not abnormal.
Taiwan has lost 10 diplomatic allies to China since May 2016 after former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) of the Democratic Progressive Party took office.
Five of them — Panama, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua and Honduras — were Latin American countries.
Taipei has once again made it to the top 100 in Oxford Economics’ Global Cities Index 2025 report, moving up five places from last year to 60. The annual index, which was published last month, evaluated 1,000 of the most populated metropolises based on five indices — economics, human capital, quality of life, environment and governance. New York maintained its top spot this year, placing first in the economics index thanks to the strength of its vibrant financial industry and economic stability. Taipei ranked 263rd in economics, 44th in human capital, 15th in quality of life, 284th for environment and 75th in governance,
The Sports Administration yesterday demanded an apology from the national table tennis association for barring 17-year-old Yeh Yi-tian (葉伊恬) from competing in the upcoming World Table Tennis (WTT) United States Smash tournament in Las Vegas this July. The sports agency said in a statement that the Chinese Taipei Table Tennis Association (CTTTA) must explain to the public why it withdrew Yeh from the WTT tournament in Las Vegas. The sports agency said it contacted the association to express its disapproval of the decision-making process after receiving a complaint from Yeh’s coach, Chuang
Control Yuan Secretary-General Lee Chun-yi (李俊俋) tendered his resignation last night, admitting that he had misused a government vehicle, as reported by media. His resignation was immediately accepted by the Control Yuan. In a statement explaining why he had resigned, Lee apologized for using a Control Yuan vehicle to transport his dog to a pet grooming salon on May 20. The issue first came to light late last month, when TVBS News reported that Lee had instructed his driver to take the dog to the salon. The news channel broadcast photos that it said were taken by an unnamed whistle-blower, which purportedly showed the
Democratic Progressive Party caucus chief executive Rosalia Wu, front, grabs the pennant in a dragon boat race hosted by Qu Yuan Temple in the Shuanghsi River in Taipei’s Beitou District yesterday.
RSS