The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday reiterated that Taiwan would not resort to "checkbook diplomacy," as President Chen Shui-bian (
The ministry's remarks came in response to an article published in the Chinese-language China Times yesterday that Taiwan's diplomatic relations with some of its allies in Central and South America were under threat, with some of these allies demanding US$550 million to preserve these ties.
Ministry Spokesman David Wang (
Foreign aid
"Taiwan's foreign aid projects are the result of careful studies of their feasibility and negotiations on both sides. They are by no means a result of `spendthrift diplomacy' or a `bidding war' [with China] to establish or maintain diplomatic ties," Wang said.
China's economic power has been rising in recent years and it is not favorable for Taiwan to compete with China based on "checkbook diplomacy," he said, adding that Taiwan had already given up such a strategy.
Pressure
Wang, however, admitted that Taiwan has encountered pressure in maintaining its allies in Central and South America as China has been ramping up the amount of its foreign aid in these areas.
A senior diplomatic official, who wished to remain anonymous, said it was not easy for Taiwan, which has an annual budget of only US$900 million for diplomacy to compete with China, which has more than US$20 billion at its command.
The diplomatic official added that Beijing has taken advantage of its role in the UN to contact Taiwan's allies in Central America when the UN holds meetings in the international body's headquarters in New York.
Blocked
"China can easily meet the high-ranking officials of our allies in places where Taiwanese access is blocked and talk about the price of foreign aid," the official said.
"It is almost impossible for us to guard against such happenings," he said.
The official stressed that "a solid national consensus and understanding of Taiwan's diplomatic predicament" would be a good way to support the government's efforts and boost the nation's diplomatic standing.
RESOLUTIONS DEBATE: Taiwan’s allies said that UN and WHA resolutions cited by China and other nations ‘do not determine Taiwan’s participation in WHO activities’ A proposal to invite Taiwan to this year’s World Health Assembly (WHA) was rejected on Monday, resulting in Taipei’s absence from the annual meeting for a ninth consecutive year, although partners spoke up for Taiwan’s participation at the first day of the meeting. The first agenda item after the opening was a “two-on-two debate” on a proposal to invite Taiwan to participate at the WHA as an observer. Similar to previous years, two countries made statements in favor of the proposal, while two others expressed their opposition. Philippine Secretary of Health Teodoro Herbosa, president of the 78th WHA, accepted the WHA General Committee’s
Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr arrived in Taiwan last night to kick off his first visit to the country since beginning his second term earlier this year. After arriving at Taoyuan International Airport at around 6:30 pm, Whipps and his delegation were welcomed by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍). Speaking to gathered media, the Palauan leader said he was excited and honored to be back in Taiwan on his first state visit to Taiwan since he was sworn in this January. Among those traveling with Whipps is Minister of State Gustav N. Aitaro, Public Infrastructure
Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) on Friday laid out the Cabinet’s updated policy agenda and recapped the government’s achievements ahead of the one-year anniversary of President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration. Cho said the government had made progress across a range of areas, including rebuilding Hualien, cracking down on fraud, improving pedestrian safety and promoting economic growth. “I hope the public will not have the impression that the Cabinet only asked the legislature to reconsider a bunch of legal amendments,” Cho said, calling the moves “necessary” to protect constitutional governance and the public’s interest. The Cabinet would work toward achieving its “1+7” plan, he said. The
Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) hosted a dinner in Taipei last night with key Taiwanese suppliers to celebrate the successful mass production of the company’s new Blackwell AI systems. Speaking to the media earlier yesterday, Huang thanked Nvidia’s Taiwanese partners for their contributions to the company’s ecosystem, while also sharing his plans to meet with Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC) founder Morris Chang (張忠謀). In response to rumors that Nvidia will launch a downgraded Hopper H20 chip for China in July, Huang dismissed the reports, saying, “That is not true.” He clarified that there