Following China’s abrupt resumption of diplomatic ties with Taiwan’s former ally the Gambia, an official from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday expressed concerns over the nation’s relations with African diplomatic ally Sao Tome and Principe.
The legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee invited Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lin (林永樂) and ministry officials to answer questions regarding China’s decision on Thursday last week to establish diplomatic ties with the Gambia, which unilaterally severed its 18-year relationship with Taiwan on Nov. 14, 2013.
When fielding questions from Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) on whether Taiwan would suffer “an avalanche of ruptured diplomatic ties” in the wake of the Gambia incident, Lin said Taiwan’s ties with all of its 22 diplomatic allies are stable, including Guatemala, Panama and the Holy See.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Lin also dismissed former minister of foreign affairs Francisco Ou’s (歐鴻鍊) remarks on Sunday that all of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies desire to establish diplomatic ties with China.
“Ou’s statement is not entirely correct, but some of our diplomatic allies do harbor the illusion of forging diplomatic relations with China,” Lin said.
DPP Legislator Chiu Chih-wei (邱志偉) asked ministry officials to rate each of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies on a “red,” “yellow” and “green” scale in terms of the soundness of the nation’s respective relationships with them.
All of the nation’s diplomatic allies were rated “green,” suggesting stable ties, except for Sao Tome and Principe, which was rated “yellow” by Department of West Asian and African Affairs Director-General Chen Chun-shen (陳俊賢).
Chen said he did not dare to give a “green” rating to the relations between Taiwan and Sao Tome and Principe.
Downplaying Chen’s “yellow” rating, Lin later said that the problem with Taiwan-Sao Tome and Principe ties lay mostly with Sao Tomean President Manuel Pinto da Costa, adding that a presidential election is due later this year.
Since Taiwan has maintained a close relationship with Sao Tomean Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada, who holds more power than the president, there is no crisis in the bilateral ties, Lin said.
Pinto da Costa visited Shanghai and Beijing in a private capacity in June 2014, with the stated goals of soliciting investment in the African nation’s deep-water harbor and promoting economic development.
During the committee meeting yesterday, legislators across party lines also passed an impromptu motion aimed at lodging a protest against China over its resumed ties with the Gambia.
Additional reporting by Chen Yu-hsuan
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