Taiwan’s ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) has met with the newly elected prime minister of the Caribbean ally state, Godwin Friday, to convey congratulations from President William Lai (賴清德), the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday.
In a statement, the ministry said Ambassador Fiona Fan (范惠君) delivered Lai’s message during their meeting, and that the prime minister asked her to relay his thanks in return.
The ministry released the statement in response to a media query about the outlook for Taiwan-SVG relations.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
Friday’s New Democratic Party (NDP) has previously proposed switching recognition from Taiwan to Beijing, although the new prime minister did not publicly address the issue during the campaign.
He was sworn in after the NDP won 14 of the 15 parliamentary seats in the general election on Friday last week, ending former SVG prime minister Ralph Gonsalves’ 24-year rule.
At his swearing-in ceremony, Friday called the result a clear mandate for “major, transformational changes” and pledged to work with “every sinew in our body” to deliver on campaign promises, according to Dominica News Online.
Taiwan established diplomatic relations with SVG in 1981.
Separately, the Executive Yuan has approved diplomatic personnel changes, appointing Hsu Wei-ming (徐蔚民), a former deputy representative to Thailand, as the country’s new ambassador to the Marshall Islands.
Hsu, a counselor at the Department of International Organizations, is replacing Steve Hsia (夏季昌), who has served as ambassador since September 2022 and is rotating back to Taipei to work at the ministry, according to the Executive Yuan. Hsu’s former overseas posts include Latvia.
The Marshall Islands is one of 12 countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei instead of Beijing.
Former representative to Malaysia Phoebe Yeh (葉非比) has been appointed as the new representative to Sweden.
Lien Yu-ping (連玉蘋), head of the Department of International Cooperation and Economic Affairs, is to take over as representative to Malaysia, according to the Cabinet.
The move follows former Swedish representative Gu Ruey-sheng’s (谷瑞生) transfer to Germany.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
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