TAIPEI: Taiwan’s envoy to the funeral of Pope Francis stated he prayed for President Lai Ching-te to have the ability to attend the inauguration of the brand new pontiff, and that he had met Japan’s overseas minister, easing the island’s diplomatic isolation.
The Vatican is one in every of solely 12 nations to take care of formal ties with Chinese language-claimed Taiwan, whose authorities had hoped that Lai would have been capable of attend Francis’ funeral, giving him the prospect to combine with different world leaders like US President Donald Trump.
Nonetheless, former Vice President Chen Chien-jen ended up representing Lai, a religious Catholic who had beforehand met Francis on six events.
Francis had led an wide-ranging outreach to formally atheist China, together with signing a deal on the appointment of Catholic bishops in that nation, worrying Taiwan.
In feedback printed by Taiwan’s official Central Information Company late on Saturday (Apr 26) after the funeral concluded, Chen stated he hoped Francis continued to wish from heaven for even higher relations between Taiwan and the Vatican.
“I additionally hope that when the brand new pope is elected, President Lai Ching-te will be capable to symbolize our nation to attend the inauguration of the brand new pope, which I discussed in my prayers on the mass,” Chen stated.
The conclave that can elect a brand new pope is anticipated to start out a while between Might 6 and Might 11.
Francis’ inauguration in 2013 was attended by Taiwan’s then-President Ma Ying-jeou.
China didn’t announce that it had despatched any delegation to Francis’ funeral, although did categorical its condolences.
Chen was accompanied on the funeral by Vice Overseas Minister Francois Wu, beforehand Taipei’s de facto ambassador to France and one in every of Taiwan’s most excessive profile diplomats who usually seems in overseas media interviews.
Chen and Wu each met and spoke with former-US President Joe Biden, whose administration gave sturdy assist to Taiwan, the Central Information Company stated.
Chen additionally stated he met Japanese Overseas Minister Takeshi Iwaya and “talked in regards to the good cooperation between the 2 nations,” the report added.
China says Taiwan is one in every of its provinces with no proper to state-to-state ties, a place the federal government in Taipei strongly rejects.
