Taiwan president to attend pope inauguration, China muted

The Vatican is Taiwan's sole European diplomatic ally. China claims the island as a wayward province, though the two sides have been governed separately since defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan in 1949 after losing the Chinese civil war.
"The Holy See is our diplomatic ally, and the president ... is leading a delegation to attend the inauguration of the new pope," Taiwan Vice Foreign Minister Vanessa Shih told reporters in Taipei.
"The two countries share many universal values, such as freedom, democracy, freedom of religion (and) justice ... We have common beliefs and values, and therefore we have had a close friendship."
China reacted angrily in 2005 when former Taiwan president Chen Shui-bian, someone hated by Beijing for his pro-independence views, attended Pope John Paul II's funeral, and refused to send a delegation of its own.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2013/03/15/us-pope-china-idUSBRE92E0CI20130315