Foreign Minister David Lin says that Taiwan’s relations with its allies are stable. He was responding on Monday to opposition lawmaker Tsai Huang-liang. Tsai told a legislative committee that he believes six of Taiwan’s allies—the Holy See, Panama, Sao Tome and Principe, Honduras, Nicaragua, and El Salvador—are preparing to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Tsai, who is from the opposition Democratic Progressive Party, said that Taiwan’s relations with the Holy See are in immediate danger. He said that the Holy See has promised to establish diplomatic relations with China in exchange for the right to appoint bishops there.
Since China severed diplomatic relations with the Holy See in 1951, bishops in China have been named by the Chinese Patriotic Catholic Association. But the Holy See’s position is that only the Pope can appoint bishops. Tsai said that Pope Francis wants to visit China and that he believes that establishing diplomatic ties with Beijing is a priority.
Foreign Minister David Lin said Monday that Tsai’s claims are not true.
“I have made it very clear to all of you, that up until this moment, our relations with our allies have been very stable,” said Lin.
The foreign minister said that Taiwan and the Holy See have very special relations. He said that while Pope Francis wants to visit China, the Holy See values the freedom of religion and will not establish diplomatic ties with China solely because it wants the right to appoint bishops there.
Lin said that China still has a long way to go before it can respect the freedom of religion, so the Holy See is unlikely to switch recognition to China in the near future.