A special embassy from Taiwan will visit Tuvalu, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced on February 27, Taiwan News reported.
The embassy will be headed by Vice Minister Tin Chun-kwan. It is intended to be a sign of support for the island nation’s newly elected Prime Minister, Feleti Teo.
It is friendly to Taiwan and intends to maintain diplomatic relations with it. She came to the island several times.
Taiwan intends to invite senior Tuvaluan officials to the inauguration ceremony of the Taiwanese president.
Let us remember that the elections in Tuvalu were held on January 26, 2024.
Shortly before, Tuvalu’s representative in Taiwan said he had received information about the intentions of the atoll authorities to break relations with the island and recognize China. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry soon said it had received assurances from the Tuvalu government that the diplomat’s comments did not reflect the government’s position.
On December 15, Nauru announced the withdrawal of recognition of Taiwan and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China. Taiwanese official sources said the People’s Republic of China offered Nauru larger amounts than Taiwan usually offers its diplomatic allies.
Nauru, they say, needs money to plug the hole in the budget left after the closure of the Australian migrant accommodation center on the island and the refusal to host a series of sporting events on Nauru.
Before this incident, Taiwan was recognized as an independent state by only 13 countries.
In Central and South America, the following countries maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan: Guatemala, Belize, Haiti, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines; in the Asia-Pacific region: Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Nauru, Palau; in Africa, Eswatini; in Europe: the Vatican.
After Tsai Ing-wen assumed the presidency of Taiwan in 2016, Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, the Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Nicaragua, the Solomon Islands, Kiribati and in 2023 Honduras severed relations with the island.
The new president refused to confirm a course toward integration with China. The People’s Republic of China closed its representative office on the island, which unofficially served as an embassy. Other states, including Russia, began to declare that they did not recognize the island’s independence.
Source: Rossa Primavera
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