Taiwan to send former vice-president despite Vatican being one of country’s few diplomatic allies
Pope Francis’s funeral – latest updates
Taiwan’s president, Lai Ching-te, will not attend the funeral of Pope Francis, despite his foreign ministry saying earlier it was their “most important aim” in negotiations with the Vatican that he be there in person.
The ministry announced on Wednesday that Taiwan would be sending its former vice-president, Chen Chien-jen as special envoy. Chen has deep ties with the Vatican and met Pope Francis six times, but the decision means Taiwan’s delegation will be without a serving government official, despite the Vatican being one of Taiwan’s few diplomatic allies.
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