Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The Inland Revenue Department (IRD) today (June 30) alerted members of the public to two fraudulent emails purportedly issued by the IRD.
The first email, purported to be sent by an Assistant Commissioner of Inland Revenue, seeks to obtain recipients’ email account passwords; asking them to provide property tax information by inputting their email account passwords via a hyperlink provided.
The other email, also purported to be sent by the IRD, seeks to trick recipients into installing an unknown software by asking the recipients to submit documents within 24 hours via a hyperlink provided to fulfil compliance requirements.
The IRD has no connection with the emails, and has reported the case to the Police for further investigation.
The IRD reminded members of the public not to open suspicious emails or visit hyperlinks provided in such emails.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Scam alert related to banks
Bank The HKMA wishes to remind the public that banks will not send SMS or emails with embedded hyperlinks which direct them to the banks’ websites to carry out transactions. They will not ask customers for sensitive information, such as login passwords or one-time password, by phone, email or SMS (including via embedded hyperlinks).
Anyone who has provided his or her personal information, or who has conducted any financial transactions, through or in response to the scams concerned, should contact the relevant bank with the information provided in the corresponding press release, and report the matter to the Crime Wing Information Centre of the Hong Kong Police Force at 2860 5012. Issued at HKT 17:38
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3
Following is a question by the Hon Elizabeth Quat and a written reply by the Secretary for Education, Dr Choi Yuk-lin, in the Legislative Council today (May 21):
Question:
It has been reported that according to a survey, more than half of the students surveyed consider that the mental health of young people in Hong Kong is unsatisfactory, and about 14 per cent even consider the situation very unsatisfactory. In addition, between 2013 and 2023, the number of suicide deaths among students in Hong Kong increased from about 10 to 32 per year. Regarding the promotion of students’ mental health, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) as a study has pointed out that 80 per cent of the students who experienced psychological crises had no record of attending psychiatric specialist services, of the authorities’ plans in place to strengthen the training of teachers and school personnel, so as to increase their sensitivity to identifying students in need of support at an early stage;
(2) as some members of the education sector have pointed out that quite a number of students do not have a proper understanding of death, and that work related to life and death education is inadequate, of the authorities’ plans in place to strengthen life education in schools, so as to enable students to treasure life and further cultivate positive values and qualities;
(3) whether it will study the establishment of additional School Life Co-ordinators and two task forces on “suicide prevention” and “bullying prevention” in schools, as well as the implementation of the “one counsellor for each school” measure to complement the work of existing school social workers by identifying high-risk students at an early stage and intervening immediately to provide comprehensive support;
(4) as a survey has pointed out that most students do not take the initiative to seek help from others when faced with negative emotions and difficulties, of the authorities’ plans in place to step up the promotion of a “help-seeking culture”, reduce the labelling of help-seekers, and encourage students to take the initiative to care for others and help one another;
(5) given that the Quality Education Fund Thematic Network on “Promoting Wellness in School” aims to help participating schools (including secondary schools, primary schools and nursery schools) develop into schools where the well-being of students is the top priority, and incorporate mental wellbeing education into the school curriculum, so as to nurture resilience of students, whether the authorities have assessed the effectiveness of such programme, and whether they will study extending similar programmes to all schools in the territory;
(6) as a study has pointed out that more than half of the students with emotional problems come from single-parent or divorced families, whether the authorities will conduct a study on strengthening support for such students in schools and establishing a mechanism for community collaboration, so as to prevent the marginalisation of students with emotional problems; and
(7) as there are views pointing out that the pressure of education progression is one of the major factors affecting students’ mental health, whether the authorities will study reforming the vocational and professional education and training system and promoting the relevant programmes, so as to provide students with diversified pathways, thereby alleviating their pressure of education progression; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that?
Reply:
President,
The Education Bureau (EDB) attaches great importance to the mental health of students, and has been proactively providing support for schools in adopting the Whole School Approach (WSA) at three levels, namely Universal, Selective and Indicated, to promote student mental health and enhance support for students with mental health needs (including those with suicidal risks). The EDB also collaborates with other bureaux/departments and different stakeholders to take care of students with mental health needs and provide them with support in different aspects through cross-departmental, multi-disciplinary and cross-sector collaboration. In consultation with the Social Welfare Department (SWD), our reply to the question raised by the Hon Elizabeth Quat is as follows:
(1) The EDB has been continuously enhancing training to strengthen school personnel’s knowledge and skills in early identification and support for students with mental health needs. The core elements of the Guiding Framework for Teacher Education Programmes formulated since 2023 have included supporting students with various learning and developmental needs. The programmes have also enriched the content relating to special education, which includes knowledge and skills for supporting students’ mental health. Regarding in-service teacher training, the EDB provides teachers with structured programmes, i.e. basic, advanced and thematic courses to enhance teachers’ professional capacity in catering for students with special educational needs, including those with mental health needs. One of the thematic courses focuses on delving deeply into the characteristics of students with mental illness, practical strategies and skills, as well as effective support measures and practices. Moreover, the EDB also organises thematic teacher training for school personnel from time to time, and provides gatekeeper training for teachers on a regular basis so as to strengthen their ability to identify and support students with mental health needs.
In addition, the EDB has launched parent gatekeeper training and the Peer Power – Student Gatekeeper Training Programme to enhance parents and students’ knowledge, confidence and practical skills as gatekeepers, thereby assisting in early identification and support for students with emotional distress, enabling them to seek help when encountering difficulties. Schools also organise various mental health promotion activities to enhance all teachers and students’ understanding and awareness of mental health.
(2) Life education (including life and death education) is an indispensable part of values education in schools. The Values Education Curriculum Framework (Pilot Version) published in 2021 has identified “enhancing life education” as one of the key emphases of the curriculum. It sets out the expected learning outcomes related to life education at different key learning stages, including understanding of the life cycle – birth, ageing, illness and death. The EDB has all along supported schools in integrating the learning context and content of life education into various subjects and life-wide learning activities through the approaches of organic integration, natural connection, diversified strategies, mutual co-ordination, learning within and beyond the classroom and whole-school participation. These help students cultivate proper values, understand the finiteness of life and learn to face challenges in life with a positive and optimistic attitude, as well as perseverance from an early age. Many schools have developed school-based life education curriculum and organised various thematic experiential learning activities. For instance, rearing small animals on campus, or, where appropriate, arranging for students to visit hospitals or to learn about the funeral industry. These activities help students understand the nature, values and meaning of life from the cognitive and affective perspectives with first-hand experiences, thereby learning to respect and cherish their own lives and those of others. Through these activities, students may learn to face loss and separation and handle the emotions that arise from such experiences. (3) The EDB cultivates a healthy, harmonious and safe school environment through the implementation of the WSA, multi-disciplinary collaboration (including teachers, student guidance personnel (SGP), school social workers and school-based educational psychologists) and home-school co-operation. Currently, public sector primary schools and secondary schools implement the measures of “one school social worker for each school” and “two school social workers for each school” respectively. According to students’ needs, schools may also flexibly deploy grants provided by the Government or pool together other school resources to employ appropriate SGP outside the regular staff establishment (such as employing teachers or professionals with qualifications in guidance or other equivalent qualifications) to provide additional guidance services or procure related services from organisations.
Prevention of school bullying and student suicide are both important components in cultivating a healthy, harmonious and safe school environment. The EDB has all along been adopting a “zero tolerance” policy, requiring all public sector schools to implement proactive measures and adopt the WSA in formulating and implementing anti-bullying policies, as well as handle and follow up cases in accordance with the School Administration Guide and EDB circulars. In addition, the EDB adopts a multi-pronged approach, including school curriculum, teaching materials, diversified activities, teacher training and sharing of successful experiences, to assist schools in implementing their anti-bullying measures more effectively.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3
LCQ12: Measures to support non-Chinese speaking students Question:
It is learnt that the lack of Chinese language proficiency of non-Chinese speakers has always been the biggest obstacle for them in pursuing further studies, seeking employment and integrating into the community. Although the Government has been providing non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students with all-encompassing learning support through diverse strategies to help them master the Chinese language and integrate into the community, some members of the education sector have reflected that some primary schools still have reservations about admitting NCS students. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council:
(1) of the respective numbers of (a) primary schools admitting NCS students and (b) NCS primary school students, together with a breakdown by school type (i.e. (i) public sector primary school, (ii) Direct Subsidy Scheme primary school, and (iii) private primary school), in each of the past five years;
(2) of the measures currently put in place by the Government to support the pre-primary education of NCS students, so as to assist them in learning Chinese and enhancing their language proficiency, thereby enabling them to articulate more smoothly to the primary school curriculum;
(3) of the measures currently put in place by the Government to encourage primary schools to admit NCS students (e.g. reserving some school places for NCS students), so as to enable their early integration into the community; and
(4) whether the Government has reviewed the effectiveness of the existing measures to support NCS students; if so, of the details; if not, the reasons for that, and whether it will conduct such a review in the future?
Reply:
President,
The Government is committed to encouraging and supporting the integration of non-Chinese speaking (NCS) students into the community, including facilitating their early adaptation to the local education system and mastery of the Chinese language. The Education Bureau (EDB) has been providing NCS students with all-encompassing learning support from pre-primary to secondary levels through diverse strategies to help them master the Chinese language and integrate into the community.
Our reply to the question raised by the Hon Mrs Regina Ip is as follows:
(1) and (3) All eligible children (including NCS students) enjoy equal opportunities in admission to public sector schools. To encourage parents of NCS students to arrange for their children to study in schools which provide an immersive Chinese language environment, the EDB abolished the so-called “designated schools” support system back in the 2013/14 school year. With the implementation of various enhanced support measures, the number of schools admitting NCS students has gradually increased and the school choices for parents of NCS students have also been widened. At present, most of the publicly-funded schools in Hong Kong have admitted NCS students, which account for about 70 per cent of the kindergartens (KGs) joining the Kindergarten Education Scheme (Scheme-KGs) and over 70 per cent of the primary and secondary schools. The number of public sector, Direct Subsidy Scheme (DSS) and private sector primary schools admitting NCS students and the respective number of NCS students from the 2019/20 to 2023/24 school years are tabulated below:
School yearprimary schoolsprimary schools(1) Figures for the 2020/21 school year refer to the position as at mid-October, and others refer to the position as at mid-September of the respective school years. (2) Figures include students whose ethnicity is Chinese but are categorised as NCS students based on the spoken language at home. (3) Figures exclude international schools, private independent schools and special schools.
(2) The EDB encourages parents of NCS students to arrange for their children to study in local KGs for early adaptation to the local education system as well as early exposure to and learning of Chinese. Starting from the 2019/20 school year, the EDB has further enhanced the relevant measures for NCS students by providing a five-tier grant for Scheme-KGs according to the number of NCS students admitted. A KG admitting one NCS student can also receive the grant, and the grant rate for the highest tier is a double of the previous level. All the KGs receiving the additional grant have each assigned a teacher to co-ordinate the support measures for NCS students. The KGs concerned mainly deploy the resources for appointing additional teaching staff, procuring professional services, e.g. translation or interpretation services, organising cultural integration activities, etc. to enhance the support for NCS students in diversified modes.
(4) The Government encourages and supports the learning of Chinese of NCS students (including ethnic minorities students) and the creation of an inclusive learning environment in schools through diverse strategies, including providing additional funding to schools, optimising the curriculum, enriching the teaching resources, enhancing teacher training and professional support and facilitating home-school co-operation.
Regarding the provision of the additional funding, all public sector and DSS schools offering the local curriculum and admitting NCS students can be provided with an additional subsidy according to the number of NCS students admitted. The amount of the additional funding currently ranges from about $0.16 million to about $1.6 million per year for each school. Schools usually use the additional funding to employ additional teaching staff members to teach in diversified and intensive modes, including pull-out learning, split-class/small-group learning, after-school support, increasing the number of Chinese Language lessons, learning Chinese across the curriculum, deploying additional teachers for co-teaching and arranging teaching assistants to provide in-class support.
In respect to curriculum and teaching, the EDB has continually been providing teachers with guidance and support in curriculum planning, learning and teaching and assessment. The Chinese Language Curriculum Second Language Learning Framework, which was complemented by learning and teaching materials, has been implemented in primary and secondary schools since the 2014/15 school year to help NCS students learn Chinese. The EDB has been developing learning and teaching resources for NCS students. These resources have been uploaded to the EDB webpage and dispatched to schools. The Online Chinese Language Self-learning Resources launched in the 2023/24 school year provides diversified learning resources which help NCS students extend their learning; after-school Chinese language courses for lower primary NCS students are offered on a trial basis using adapted learning materials for the Youth Chinese Test; and the Summer Bridging Programme has been extended to cover NCS students to be promoted to Primary Five and Primary Six. In addition, apart from studying Chinese Language for the Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education (HKDSE) Examination, NCS students meeting specified circumstances (Note 1) may, taking into account their needs and aspirations, obtain other recognised alternative Chinese Language qualifications through additional channels, including taking Applied Learning Chinese (for NCS students) pegged at the Qualifications Framework Level 1 to Level 3 and other internationally recognised alternative Chinese language examinations supported with Government subsidies (Note 2), for multiple articulation pathways for further studies and future careers.
Regarding teacher training, all Chinese Language teachers teaching NCS students are provided with training opportunities. The EDB continues to organise teacher professional development programmes, provide diversified school-based support services and establish professional learning communities to help teachers enhance their teaching effectiveness.
For parent education, starting from the 2020/21 school year, the EDB has commissioned non-governmental organisations and a post-secondary institution to provide diversified parent education programmes for parents of NCS students, with a view to helping them support their children’s learning, encourage their children to master the Chinese language and have a more comprehensive understanding of the multiple pathways available for their children. The number of schools receiving Life Planning Education support services for NCS students has also increased in recent years.
Generally speaking, the aforementioned arrangements can help NCS students learn Chinese effectively and integrate into the community. The EDB has been monitoring schools through different means to ensure the prudent and proper use of the additional funding, including requiring schools to submit plans and reports on the use of the additional funding and providing schools with professional advice and support through supervisory visits and day-to-day communication to ensure public funds are put to good use.
In recent years, the number of schools admitting NCS students has increased from about 590 in the 2013/14 school year to about 710 in the 2024/25 school year, accounting for over 70 per cent of the primary and secondary schools in the territory. All schools admitting NCS students are provided with the additional funding and have used the funding effectively to implement various school-based measures for providing appropriate support for NCS students. In addition, more than 30 per cent of the NCS school candidates entering for the HKDSE Examination met the general entrance requirements of University Grants Committee-funded undergraduate programmes, which is comparable to the territory-wide rate of about 40 per cent for day school candidates. This demonstrates that the Government’s policy intent of encouraging and supporting the integration of NCS students into the community, including facilitating their early adaptation to the local education system, is being attained progressively. The EDB will continue to collect and take into account of stakeholders’ views in reviewing the implementation of various support measures and enhance the measures as necessary with educational professionalism and having regard to the needs of students.
Note 1: Specifically, these NCS students are those who have learnt Chinese Language for either – (a) less than six years while receiving primary and secondary education; or (b) six years or more in schools, but have been taught an adapted and simpler Chinese Language curriculum not normally applicable to the majority of students in local schools.
Note 2: These examinations include the General Certificate of Secondary Education (GCSE), the International General Certificate of Secondary Education (IGCSE) and the General Certificate of Education (GCE) Advanced Subsidiary (AS)-Level and Advanced (A)-Level. Issued at HKT 15:50
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3
LCQ10: Joint University Programmes Admissions System Question:
It is learnt that applicants who wish to apply for admission to the programmes under the Joint University Programmes Admissions System (JUPAS) should submit their applications by the deadline in December of the year preceding the intended school year of admission. Applicants who have missed the deadline may typically submit late applications from December of the same year to May of the following year. In this connection, will the Government inform this Council whether it knows the number of applications processed under JUPAS in each of the past five years and this year to date, and the number of late applications among them (with a tabulated breakdown by the type of documents held by the applicants (i.e. LS1 to LS9))?
Reply:
President,
The Joint University Programmes Admission System (JUPAS) is the main application route to assist local students with Hong Kong Diploma of Secondary Education Examination results (past and/or current) in applying for admission to post-secondary programmes. These programmes include the University Grants Committee (UGC)-funded full-time bachelor’s degree programmes, Hong Kong Metropolitan University’s self-financing full-time bachelor’s degree programmes, and the Education University of Hong Kong’s UGC-funded full-time higher diploma programme.
After consultation with the JUPAS Office, our reply to the Hon Gary Zhang’s question is as follows –
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region
Government’s financial results for two months ended May 31, 2026
May 31, 2026 HK$ millionMay 31, 2026 HK$ millionand repayment of Government Bondsissuance of Government BondsGovernment Bonds*and repayment of Government BondsGovernment Debts as at May 31, 2026 (Note 3) HK$446,559 million Debts Guaranteed by Government as at May 31, 2026 (Note 4) HK$108,634 million
TABLE 2. FISCAL RESERVES
May 31, 2026 HK$ millionMay 31, 2026 HK$ millionissuance and repayment of Government Bonds(Note 5)Notes:
1. This Account consolidates the General Revenue Account and the following eight Funds: Capital Works Reserve Fund, Capital Investment Fund, Civil Service Pension Reserve Fund, Disaster Relief Fund, Innovation and Technology Fund, Land Fund, Loan Fund and Lotteries Fund. It excludes the Bond Fund, the balance of which is not part of the fiscal reserves. The Bond Fund balance as at May 31, 2026, was HK$153,188 million.Issued at HKT 16:30
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
According to statistics published today (June 30) by the Hong Kong Monetary Authority, total deposits with authorized institutions increased by 2.3 per cent in May 2026. Among the total, Hong Kong dollar deposits and foreign currency deposits increased by 1.2 per cent and 3.2 per cent respectively in May, mainly reflecting fund flows of corporates. In the year to end-May, total deposits and Hong Kong dollar deposits increased by 4.8 per cent and 4.4 per cent respectively. Renminbi deposits in Hong Kong increased by 5.3 per cent in May to RMB1,134.7 billion at the end of May, mainly reflecting fund flows of corporates. The total remittance of renminbi for cross-border trade settlement amounted to RMB1,129.6 billion in May, compared with RMB1,214.6 billion in April. It should be noted that changes in deposits are affected by a wide range of factors, such as interest rate movements and fund-raising activities. It is therefore more appropriate to observe the longer-term trends, and not to over-generalise fluctuations in a single month.
Total loans and advances increased by 1.4 per cent in May, and increased by 5.0 per cent in the year to end-May. Among the total, loans for use in Hong Kong (including trade finance) and loans for use outside Hong Kong both increased by 1.4 per cent in May. The Hong Kong dollar loan-to-deposit ratio decreased to 71.0 per cent at the end of May from 71.6 per cent at the end of April, as Hong Kong dollar deposits increased at a faster pace than Hong Kong dollar loans.
Hong Kong dollar M2 and M3 both increased by 1.1 per cent in May, and increased by 1.1 per cent and 1.0 per cent respectively when compared to a year ago. The seasonally-adjusted Hong Kong dollar M1 decreased by 0.6 per cent in May, while increased by 2.0 per cent compared to a year ago, reflecting in part investment-related activities. Total M2 and total M3 both increased by 2.4 per cent in May. Compared to a year earlier, total M2 and total M3 increased by 9.9 per cent and 9.8 per cent respectively.
As monthly monetary statistics are subject to volatilities due to a wide range of transient factors, such as seasonal funding demand as well as business and investment-related activities, caution is required when interpreting the statistics.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 4
The following is issued on behalf of the Hong Kong Monetary Authority:
The Hong Kong Monetary Authority announced the results of the residential mortgage survey for May 2026.
The number of mortgage applications in May increased month-on-month by 12.8 per cent to 10 767.
Mortgage loans approved in May increased by 10.1 per cent compared with April to HK$40.2 billion. Among these, mortgage loans financing primary market transactions increased by 9.4 per cent to HK$11.7 billion and those financing secondary market transactions increased by 9.1 per cent to HK$23.8 billion. Mortgage loans for refinancing increased by 17.7 per cent to HK$4.7 billion.
Mortgage loans drawn down during May increased by 4.3 per cent compared with April to HK$23.6 billion.
The ratio of new mortgage loans priced with reference to HIBOR decreased from 77.8 per cent in April to 73.8 per cent in May. The ratio of new mortgage loans priced with reference to best lending rates decreased from 1.3 per cent in April to 1.2 per cent in May.
The outstanding value of mortgage loans increased month-on-month by 0.4 per cent to HK$1,946.9 billion at end-May.
The mortgage delinquency ratio stood at a low level of 0.11 per cent and the rescheduled loan ratio was unchanged at nearly 0 per cent.
Source: Hong Kong Government special administrative region – 3
The results of the Central Allocation for Primary One Admission (POA) 2025 will be mailed to parents on Wednesday and Thursday (June 4 and 5).(ii) Parents who have provided a mobile phone number on the Choice of Schools Form and indicated their consent to receive the allocation results via the mobile phone number will also receive the Central Allocation results via SMS on June 4; and (iii) Parents will also receive the Primary One Registration Form with the Central Allocation results, which will be delivered on June 4 and 5 through the Local CourierPost service provided by Hongkong Post. If door delivery by Hongkong Post fails, a Mail Collection Notification Card will be left for parents to collect it from the designated post office starting from the afternoon of the following working day. If parents have not received the mail concerned or the Mail Collection Notification Card issued by Hongkong Post by June 6, they could collect the Primary One Registration Form at the designated collection centre on June 7 or 8. Please refer to the EDB’s POA System webpage (www.edb.gov.hk/en/edu-system/primary-secondary/spa-systems/primary-1-admission/index.html) for details then.
Parents are required to register their child with the school allocated on June 10 (Tuesday) or June 11 (Wednesday) during school hours.
Parents who cannot register their child with the school on the above dates due to matters of grave importance should notify the person in charge of registration of the school allocated in advance to make alternative arrangements. Otherwise, they would be deemed to have given up the school place allocated.
Arrangements for special circumstances
Should parents decide to give up the place allocated because of special circumstances, such as moving to another district far from the school allocated, they should not register their child with the school allocated. Under such circumstances, they are advised to go to the EDB’s School Places Allocation Section, Podium Floor, West Block, Education Bureau Kowloon Tong Education Services Centre, 19 Suffolk Road, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, to make necessary arrangements for transfer. They should bring along the Primary One Registration Form, the original and copies of documents showing proof of the new address (such as a rental contract, rates demand notes, or water or electricity bills bearing the name of the parent or the guardian of the child).
Any parent who finds it necessary to transfer his/her child to another school after registration is strongly advised to obtain an assurance of acceptance from that school before retrieving the Primary One Registration Form from the original school because retrieval of the registration form means cancellation of the allocated school place.
In case of inclement weather or other special circumstances during the period for the announcement of results or on any day(s) designated for registration, parents should pay attention to announcements on radio and television for special arrangements for the Central Allocation or registration.
Enquiries
Parents wishing to obtain general information regarding the POA procedures can call the EDB’s 24-hour automatic telephone enquiry service at 2891 0088. Further enquiries can be made to the School Places Allocation Section at 2832 7610 (for Hong Kong Island and Islands), 2832 7620 (for Kowloon), 2832 7635 (for New Territories West), 2832 7659 (for New Territories East) and 2832 7700/2832 7740 (for general enquiries) during office hours, as well as from 9am to 4.30pm on June 7 (Saturday) and June 8 (Sunday).
MOFA response to false claims regarding Taiwan’s sovereignty made by PRC foreign minister in Africa
January 12, 2026
During a visit to Ethiopia, Tanzania, and Lesotho from January 8 to 11, Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi ignored objective historical facts as he restated the so-called “one China principle” and spread distortions and falsehoods that seriously infringed upon the sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
Meanwhile, the foreign minister of Somalia, speaking with Wang by telephone, made the erroneous claim that the Taiwan issue was entirely an internal matter of the People’s Republic of China. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protests and condemns these statements and expresses deep regret that countries are taking untenable positions to curry favor with China.
MOFA reiterates that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign, independent nation. Any claim that makes Taiwan subject to another country based on false narratives is unacceptable. China continues to use threats, enticements, and rhetoric to spread disinformation in the international sphere, which constitutes a challenge to the international order and to peace. All nations should pay close attention to such a flagrant example of authoritarian interference in the affairs of other countries.
The ROC (Taiwan) has long made efforts to assist the development of like-minded African nations in the areas of education, medicine, and infrastructure, in which it has enjoyed considerable success. MOFA calls on other nations to hold to the principles of independence, sovereignty, and rational thinking when they promote exchanges and cooperation. This is a long-term strategy that leads to national and public well-being. The ROC (Taiwan) is willing to continue to deepen friendly collaboration with all like-minded African nations that respect its sovereign equality and uphold the principle of mutually beneficial ties so as to promote the welfare of their peoples and societies.
Taiwan’s sovereignty belongs to the people of Taiwan. Only they can decide Taiwan’s future. As a force for good in the international community, Taiwan will continue to defend the values of freedom and democracy and uphold the nation’s sovereignty. MOFA calls on like-minded nations that respect democratic values to work with it to curb authoritarian expansionism, and welcomes joint efforts to make further contributions to the sustainable development of Africa and the international community.