President Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) yesterday defended the importance of his visit to three of the nation’s allies in Africa, brushing aside the Democratic Progressive Party’s (DPP) criticism of the trip and urging the opposition parties to recognize the government’s efforts at expanding Taiwan’s international profile.
Ma and his delegation are on a 12-day visit to three of Taiwan’s African allies.
The DPP has branded Ma’s first trip to Africa since taking office in 2008 “chicken rib diplomacy (雞肋外交).”
Photo: CNA
Ma responded to the criticism first on his Facebook page and then at a press conference in Banjul, the Gambia, yesterday, adding that he hoped a new DPP chairperson would be willing to discuss diplomatic issues more rationally.
“The DPP has served in government, so why would it describe our allies as insignificant? Both Burkina Faso and the Gambia have promised to support Taiwan’s efforts to participate in the World Health Organization and other international organizations. Are such efforts insignificant?” he asked on his Facebook page.
Ma also dismissed criticism of a US$3 million donation to the Gambia as “checkbook diplomacy,” saying that it was the nation’s responsibility as a member of the international community to provide humanitarian aid. He said the donation was made to help with a serious food shortage in the Gambia caused by drought in the Sahel region of West Africa.
Ma reiterated the government’s efforts to expand the nation’s international profile at a press conference.
“The government is confronted with the same challenges, problems and global situations regardless of which party is in power, and we must find a way to maintain positive relations with the US, Japan, China, Europe and other countries,” he said. “I hope the election for a new DPP chairperson is successful and that the new party leader will have a broader vision and seek consensus with the government.”
Taiwan Solidarity Union legislative caucus whip Hsu Chung-hsin (許忠信) said that since taking office in 2008, Ma had downgraded Taiwan’s international status by adopting a pro-China stance and promoting a “diplomatic truce.”
“The criticism of Ma’s diplomacy was aimed at his itinerary, not the nation’s allies,” Hsu said.
Taiwan should look to the needs of diplomatic allies by providing long-term medical treatment and collaborating on agricultural technology, rather than having Ma hand out money like Santa Claus, or flying half way around the world to jog, do push-ups, carry sacks of rice or play with yo-yos, Hsu added.
Translated by Stacy Hsu, Staff Writer
ROLLER-COASTER RIDE: More than five earthquakes ranging from magnitude 4.4 to 5.5 on the Richter scale shook eastern Taiwan in rapid succession yesterday afternoon Back-to-back weather fronts are forecast to hit Taiwan this week, resulting in rain across the nation in the coming days, the Central Weather Administration said yesterday, as it also warned residents in mountainous regions to be wary of landslides and rockfalls. As the first front approached, sporadic rainfall began in central and northern parts of Taiwan yesterday, the agency said, adding that rain is forecast to intensify in those regions today, while brief showers would also affect other parts of the nation. A second weather system is forecast to arrive on Thursday, bringing additional rain to the whole nation until Sunday, it
LANDSLIDES POSSIBLE: The agency advised the public to avoid visiting mountainous regions due to more expected aftershocks and rainfall from a series of weather fronts A series of earthquakes over the past few days were likely aftershocks of the April 3 earthquake in Hualien County, with further aftershocks to be expected for up to a year, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Based on the nation’s experience after the quake on Sept. 21, 1999, more aftershocks are possible over the next six months to a year, the agency said. A total of 103 earthquakes of magnitude 4 on the local magnitude scale or higher hit Hualien County from 5:08pm on Monday to 10:27am yesterday, with 27 of them exceeding magnitude 5. They included two, of magnitude
CONDITIONAL: The PRC imposes secret requirements that the funding it provides cannot be spent in states with diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Emma Reilly said China has been bribing UN officials to obtain “special benefits” and to block funding from countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan, a former UN employee told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. At a House of Commons Foreign Affairs Committee hearing into “international relations within the multilateral system,” former Office of the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights (OHCHR) employee Emma Reilly said in a written statement that “Beijing paid bribes to the two successive Presidents of the [UN] General Assembly” during the two-year negotiation of the Sustainable Development Goals. Another way China exercises influence within the UN Secretariat is
Taiwan’s first drag queen to compete on the internationally acclaimed RuPaul’s Drag Race, Nymphia Wind (妮妃雅), was on Friday crowned the “Next Drag Superstar.” Dressed in a sparkling banana dress, Nymphia Wind swept onto the stage for the final, and stole the show. “Taiwan this is for you,” she said right after show host RuPaul announced her as the winner. “To those who feel like they don’t belong, just remember to live fearlessly and to live their truth,” she said on stage. One of the frontrunners for the past 15 episodes, the 28-year-old breezed through to the final after weeks of showcasing her unique