It didn’t take long for Donald Trump to throw out Taiwan’s long-established diplomatic rulebook: he accepted a telephone call from President Tsai Ing-wen a month before taking office in January 2017. The 10-minute chat was the first time that a president-elect had talked to a Taiwanese head of state since the United States broke ties with Taipei in favor of …

MANILA – The government of Taiwan has confirmed that it will be extending itsvisa-free entry for Filipinos from August 1, 2020 to July 31, 2021. According to the statement released by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), it said that visa-free privilege for Filipinos will be extended for another year and will also continue for citizens of Thailand, Brunei and …

MANILA – Presidential spokesman Harry Roque reiterated on Thursday that Taiwan is part of China despite mounting protest from Taiwan. The remark drew “strong dissatisfaction and high regret” from Taipei. Roque stood by his position saying the Philippines, like many countries in the world, consider Taiwan as part of China. “We have always had one position with this regard, together …

TAIPEI – The Taiwanese doctor who condemns Malaysia’s effort on handling the Covid-19 pandemic apologises in Facebook after receiving public backlash. “I understand that the Chinese in Malaysia have the habit of wearing face masks and that the pandemic situation in Malaysia is much better controlled than European and American countries, where the people there do not believe in wearing …

The travel ban on Taiwan was also rooted in politics, both Senate Minority Leader Franklin Drilon and Senator Panfilo Lacson said Saturday, reportedly part of the effort to prevent the spread of Coronavirus Disease-2019. Lacson held the same opinion, arguing that the explanation behind the ban could only be a political one. Lacson also pointed out that, given its 23 …

Port workers in the Philippines were instructed to allow travelers to and from Taiwan to enter and leave, stated by the Immigration Bureau (BI). The order came after the lifting of the travel ban from and to Taiwan by the Philippines to prevent the spread of coronavirus disease in 2019. According to the BI, the lifting of the ban also …