Taiwan does not play checkbook diplomacy, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mark Chen (
At a campaign event for Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lin Chung-mo (林重謨), who is running in the year-end legislative elections, Chen yesterday said there had been absolutely no political donations to Costa Rica.
Saturday night, at a function held by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' (MOFA) International Cooperation and Development Fund, he said the ministry would respond to its Costa Rican counterpart's request today at the latest.
Chen noted that aid to the nation's allies goes through a standard operating procedure.
"But I cannot comment on how the governments [of our allies] use the aid," he added.
Costa Rican Ambassador Oscar Alvarez, who also attended the function, told reporters his foreign ministry had called Taiwan's ambassador to Costa Rica Wu Tzu-dan (
Alvarez said the Costa Rican foreign ministry sent its Taiwanese counterpart a letter requesting further explanation after calling Wu.
Costa Rica's former president Miguel Angel Rodriguez is accused of improperly taking US$200,000 in 2001 from MOFA and another US$200,000 in 2002 from the Republic of China Embassy in San Jose while he served as president, according to Costa Rica's Channel 7 news and La Nacion newspaper.
Alvarez said he was happy to see the ministry was beginning to look into the matter. The Costa Rican government hoped the investigation would be completed as soon as possible so that its people could know the truth, he said.
The ambassador, nevertheless, said that his country's ties with Taiwan have been very good and that the scandal would not affect the relationship.
Meanwhile, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Michael Kau (
Commenting on the alleged political donations to Rodriguez, Kau declined to reveal details of how the ministry spends its budget.
"We cannot reveal it to the public; otherwise we will face various consequences," he said at an international seminar discussing the importance of submarines to Taiwan's national security.
The amount of foreign aid Taiwan gives to each of its allies is "highly confidential," Kau said, adding that if the ministry's budget details were exposed, the allies might compare the amount of aid they each receive.
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