Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/24
By: Elaine Hou and Ko Lin

Taipei, Sept. 24 (CNA) Despite the severance of diplomatic ties with Kiribati and the Solomon Islands,

Taiwan will continue to provide scholarships to students from these countries until the end of this semester, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Tuesday.

According to MOFA spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安), there are currently 110 students from Kiribati studying in Taiwan, 50 of whom are recipients of scholarships provided by the foreign ministry, while 14 are on an international scholarship program offered by the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF), a government- funded agency based in Taipei, Ou said.

On Sept. 20, Kiribati became the second diplomatic ally lost by Taiwan to China in a just few days, after the Solomon Islands made the same decision earlier that week.    [FULL  STORY]