Taiwan is working actively to ensure that President Lai Ching-te can attend Pope Francis' funeral this weekend, with this being designated as the "top priority" of Taipei's Foreign Ministry. Vice Foreign Minister Francois Wu shared this with the media, citing "Reuters", News.bg reports.
Although a number of countries, including the United States, have confirmed the presence of their heads of state at the funeral, Taiwan has not yet specified which representative will attend the event. Taiwan's diplomatic isolation and Pope Francis' efforts to improve relations with China add further complexity.
"The foreign ministry's most important goal is to ensure that President Lai attends the funeral," Wu said, adding that discussions are underway with the Vatican about whether he can attend. However, the Vatican has its own considerations about who can represent Taiwan at the event, given its international relations.
Taiwan maintains formal diplomatic relations with the Vatican, and is one of only 12 countries to recognize Taiwan. However, Taipei has been concerned in recent years about China and the Vatican's efforts to strengthen their ties, with Taiwan stressing that China does not respect religious freedom.
Despite these tensions, in October the Vatican and Beijing extended an agreement on the appointment of Catholic bishops in China, indicating a new level of trust between the two countries.