Taiwan's diplomatic links with the Commonwealth of Dominica remain solid despite the election of a new government in the Caribbean nation, officials from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday.
The former opposition Dominica Labor Party (DLP) led by Rosie Douglas is due to form a coalition government with its ally and former rival, the Dominica Freedom Party (DFP) to replace the outgoing government led by Prime Minister Edison James.
"We have friendly relations with both the Labor Party and the government. There shouldn't be any changes that would affect bilateral ties," said David Hu (
Elections in countries with diplomatic ties to Taiwan have always kept foreign ministry officials on their toes, as changes in political power could also mean possible shifts in diplomatic relations to China.
Douglas, a 58-year-old political scientist, had visited Taiwan in 1998 as the leader of the Labor Party.
The party won 10 seats, up from five in the 21-seat parliament while its future coalition partner DFP took two seats.
James' United Workers' Party (UWP) won nine seats.
The DFP's narrow victory will force the centrist party to form a coalition with the conservative Freedom Party -- a deal already discussed by both sides before the election.
Douglas pledged as part of his campaign platform to halt the Caribbean nation's program of raising money by selling passports to foreigners.
In the latest issue of The Economist, the magazine cited China, Taiwan and Russia as the main buyers, with customers paying around US$50,000 for the country's passport.
The magazine also said Taiwan has offered US$20 million toward the building of an airport there -- estimated to cost US$110 million.
Taiwan established diplomatic relations with Dominica in 1983.
James expressed disappointment over his defeat, citing that his government had achieved 3.5 percent economic growth last year and built new homes, schools and water pipelines.
He denied suggestions that some of the estimated 1,000 "economic citizens" to whom the country had sold passports were criminals.
The US State Department has also criticized Dominica's economic citizenship program. In a report last year, it said passports had been sold to 300 Russians. Noting the increasing power of Russian gangs, the report said the passport sales raised concerns of money laundering in Dominica.
Dominica, 47km long and 26 km wide, is located in the Windward Islands group between the French territories of Guadeloupe and Martinique.
Once inhabited by the French, its people are mostly of African descent and although the official language is English, many speak a French-based Creole. Because of its mountainous terrain, only a quarter of the island is cultivated. Bananas form its main export, as well as coffee, cocoa, mangoes, citrus and other crops.
Dominica became an independent republic within the British commonwealth in 1978. Its recent political history was dominated by Dame Eugenia Charles, who took over the Dominica Freedom Party in 1968 and served as prime minister from 1980 until 1995.
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