The Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced at 11:15pm last night that ties with Grenada would be cut. This followed a day of speculation in the wake of Grenada's resumption of diplomatic relations with China.
Taiwan's diplomats met Grenada's prime minister and foreign minister earlier yesterday, but were unable to get a concrete idea of what was written in their joint communique with China, the ministry said.
Officials from Taiwan's embassy talked to Grenadian Prime Minister Keith Mitchell and Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Trade Elvin Nimrod after they returned from separate trips to Japan and China.
Beijing's official Xinhua news agency reported that China and Grenada re-established official relations last Friday.
Mitchell and Nimrod, who were expected to officially announce the country's resumption of diplomatic ties with China after returning from the trips, have reportedly not done so because of dissatisfaction with the amount of aid offered by Beijing.
They did not say that Grenada would sever relations with Taiwan. However, it is believed that China demanded that Grenada give up ties with Taiwan in signing the joint communique.
"The information our embassy gathered suggests that China has yet to send officials to Grenada," said Ko Jai-son (
Ministry spokesman Michel Lu (呂慶龍) said Mitchell and Nimrod "planned the whole process of resuming diplomatic relations with China behind closed doors," adding that it was too early to say that Grenada would abandon Taiwan.
Meanwhile, a Chinese delegation's recent visit to Taiwan's allies Haiti and the Dominican Republic alarmed the ministry.
"China has intensified efforts to win over the Dominican Republic over the past year," Ko said.
The delegation, led by Cai Wu (蔡武), vice minister of the international department of the Chinese Communist Party's Central Committee, arrived in Haiti last week and visited neighboring Dominican Republic on Monday.
Cai's delegation also met Haiti's interim prime minister and foreign minister. According to Taiwan's embassy in Haiti, the delegation asked to meet other senior Haitian officials, including interim President Boniface Alexandre. He declined to see the group.
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