Although his foreign ministry previously stated that it was their “most important priority” in negotiations with the Vatican that he attend in person, Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, will not be present at Pope Francis’ funeral.
On Wednesday, April 23, the ministry announced that Taiwan would like to send Chen Chien-jen, its former vice president, as a special envoy. Even though the Vatican is one of Taiwan’s few diplomatic friends, Chen has close links to the Vatican and has met Pope Francis six times. Nevertheless, the decision means Taiwan’s delegation will be without a current government member.
Taiwan is recognized as a nation by twelve states, including the Vatican, while China works to keep it out of the majority of multilateral organizations. The president of Taiwan consequently has limited possibilities to interact with other world leaders.
Wu Chih-chung, Taiwan’s deputy foreign minister, had previously stated that the administration was discussing Lai’s presence with the Vatican.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry stated that the Vatican had “considerations” regarding Taiwan’s “international relations” and who Taiwan would send, but it did not elaborate.
“The church has its own diplomacy, I am not allowed to give answers on their behalf,” he said. Wu was speaking outside Taipei’s Catholic Archdiocese, where he was accompanying Lai on a visit to pay respects to Francis. Lai did not speak to the press.
Wu informed reporters later on Wednesday that Chen was “the greatest choice given the current conditions.”
Taiwanese politicians have attended formal gatherings at the Vatican in the past. Francis’s first mass as pontiff in 2013 was attended by former president Ma Ying-jeou. When his predecessor, Chen Shui-bian, represented Taiwan at Pope John Paul II’s funeral in 2005, he was seated in accordance with the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official sovereign name.
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Chen’s presence, according to Taiwan’s then-ambassador to the Vatican, was the first time a sitting Taiwanese president had been to Europe.
China’s government claims Taiwan as a colony and does not allow other countries to have formal diplomatic relations with both administrations. The vast majority of countries have chosen relations with China, with several having shifted back and forth amid lobbying and incentives offered by both Taipei and Beijing. The majority of Taiwan’s remaining 12 allies are tiny island states in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Under Francis, who oversaw contentious accords with Beijing about the appointment of Catholic bishops in China, China’s relations with the Vatican seemed to improve. The Chinese government insists that such appointments are a matter of sovereignty and must be government-approved.
Beijing did not issue public condolences to the Vatican until a foreign ministry press briefing on Tuesday.
“In recent years China and the Vatican have maintained constructive engagement, conducted useful exchanges, and had extensive communication on international issues,” the ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun told reporters.
Guo was asked about Pope Francis’s repeated wishes that he could visit China and meet leaders, and whether breaking ties with Taiwan was a prerequisite for this to ever happen with a future pontiff. He responded that Taiwan was “an inalienable part of China’s territory”.
He would not confirm whether China planned to send anyone to the funeral.
