The government yesterday expressed its regret over Sao Tome and Principe’s decision to cut its 19-year-old diplomatic ties with Taiwan, acknowledging that “gambling behavior” by the African nation was prompted by Taipei’s denial of its request for an exorbitant amount of financial aid.
Speaking at an impromptu news conference in Taipei, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) said that to safeguard the nation’s dignity, Taiwan would immediately cut its diplomatic ties with Sao Tome and Principe, shutter its embassy and halt any cooperative programs with the African nation.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in May 1997, Taipei has assisted Sao Tome and Principe in promoting national development, with our bilateral cooperation touching upon the areas of public health, medicine, agriculture, basic infrastructure, energy and education,” Lee said.
Photo: CNA
Singling out Taiwan’s antimalarial scheme in the African nation, Lee said thanks to continuous efforts by Taiwan’s malaria prevention counseling delegation, malaria incidence in Sao Tome and Principe fell from 50 percent in 2003 to 1.01 percent last year.
Despite Taipei’s determination to do its utmost to help its diplomatic allies promote national development, Lee said Sao Tome and Principe’s financial hole is simply too deep for Taiwan to deal with.
“Accordingly, it disregarded its nearly 20-year friendship with us and approached both sides of the Taiwan Strait to seek the highest bidder. We regret and deplore Sao Tome and Principe’s reckless and unfriendly decision,” Lee said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
He added that the incident would not cease Taipei’s resolve to expand the nation’s international space and push its “steadfast diplomacy.”
Asked to confirm media reports that Sao Tome and Principe had asked the government for NT$6.4 billion (US$199.9 million), Lee declined to reveal the actual amount.
“It did ask for an astronomical number, but we refused to play the checkbook-diplomacy game,” Lee said.
“We would rather initiate programs that actually improve the welfare of the people of Sao Tome and Principe. The African nation’s need for money to fill its financial hole is neither Taiwan’s responsibility, nor is it something we are willing to do,” Lee added.
Asked whether Beijing had attempted to lure Sao Tome and Principe with money, Lee said the government did not have that information, but it was regrettable that Beijing would take advantage of the African nation’s financial position to consolidate its “one China” principle.
Lee also denied the severance of ties was due to the President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) refusal to adhere to the so-called “1992 consensus,” which refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
“Frankly speaking, if we look at the case of the Gambia, which broke its diplomatic ties with Taiwan in November 2013 and established a formal relationship with Beijing in March this year, that all occurred when the precondition of the ‘1992 consensus’ was met,” Lee said, referring to then-president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) adherence to the “1992 consensus.”
On the possibility that a domino effect could be set off with the nation’s other diplomatic allies, particularly the Vatican, Lee said given the nation’s diplomatic situation, that pressure would be omnipresent.
Nevertheless, the Vatican, unlike secular nations, does not require financial aid, Lee said.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council yesterday issued a strongly worded statement denouncing Beijing resorting to “checkbook diplomacy” in attempting to reinforce its “one China” policy and inducing Sao Tome and Principe to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
“We hereby express our strong discontent and regret over the incident, which has hurt the feelings of Taiwanese, destabilized the Taiwan Strait and runs counter to Beijing’s oft-stated goal of pushing for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations,” the council said.
Stressing that the government has repeatedly demonstrated its goodwill since the Tsai administration took office in May, the council said it disapproved of China’s rigid mindset and its return to the “old path of confrontation,” urging Beijing to solemnly contemplate the possible consequences of its actions.
Rainfall is expected to become more widespread and persistent across central and southern Taiwan over the next few days, with the effects of the weather patterns becoming most prominent between last night and tomorrow, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Independent meteorologist Daniel Wu (吳德榮) said that based on the latest forecast models of the combination of a low-pressure system and southwesterly winds, rainfall and flooding are expected to continue in central and southern Taiwan from today to Sunday. The CWA also warned of flash floods, thunder and lightning, and strong gusts in these areas, as well as landslides and fallen
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
SOUTH CHINA SEA? The Philippine president spoke of adding more classrooms and power plants, while skipping tensions with China over disputed areas Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr yesterday blasted “useless and crumbling” flood control projects in a state of the nation address that focused on domestic issues after a months-long feud with his vice president. Addressing a joint session of congress after days of rain that left at least 31 dead, Marcos repeated his recent warning that the nation faced a climate change-driven “new normal,” while pledging to investigate publicly funded projects that had failed. “Let’s not pretend, the people know that these projects can breed corruption. Kickbacks ... for the boys,” he said, citing houses that were “swept away” by the floods. “Someone has
‘CRUDE’: The potential countermeasure is in response to South Africa renaming Taiwan’s representative offices and the insistence that it move out of Pretoria Taiwan is considering banning exports of semiconductors to South Africa after the latter unilaterally downgraded and changed the names of Taiwan’s two representative offices, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday. On Monday last week, the South African Department of International Relations and Cooperation unilaterally released a statement saying that, as of April 1, the Taipei Liaison Offices in Pretoria and Cape Town had been renamed the “Taipei Commercial Office in Johannesburg” and the “Taipei Commercial Office in Cape Town.” Citing UN General Assembly Resolution 2758, it said that South Africa “recognizes the People’s Republic of China (PRC) as the sole
RSS