One day after breaking ties with Taiwan to establish relations with China, Costa Rican President Oscar Arias on Thursday accused Taiwan of not offering enough financial aid.
"How can it be that you help the poorest nation in the hemisphere with just US$20 million a year?" Arias said on local Radio Monumental when he recalled conversations at last year's inauguration of Haitian President Rene Preval in which he told Taiwanese officials that they should provide more aid to Haiti.
"You should, if you wanted to help, give them US$200 million a year. That is nothing for you. While the United States gives 0.1 percent of its economic output in foreign aid Taiwan gives not even 0.0001 percent," he recalled telling them at the time.
PHOTO: AP
"I have been critical of Taiwan in the sense that if they have diplomatic relations with fewer than 30 countries, they should be more generous," Arias said.
Although Taiwan has financed some large infrastructure and health projects in Costa Rica in recent years, Arias played down their importance.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokesman David Wang (
He added that the remarks were unbecoming of a gentleman.
"But President Arias' remarks proved that Taiwan does not engage in `checkbook diplomacy' unlike China," Wang said.
Wang said Arias' words demonstrated that he had dumped Taiwan and established relations with China mainly for financial aid from Beijing.
"I think the international community and all the people will have their opinions about Costa Rica," Wang said.
Meanwhile, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Katharine Chang (張小月) said yesterday that Taiwan would not establish a representative office in Costa Rica at this point.
Chang made the remarks yesterday morning while giving a report to the Taiwan Solidarity Union (TSU) caucus on the MOFA's reaction to Costa Rica's split with Taiwan.
TSU Legislator Kuo Lin-yung (郭林勇) questioned MOFA officials on how they intended to stop more of Taiwan's allies cutting ties and turning to China because of money.
Chang said that MOFA regretted Costa Rica's decision, but would not get involved in a "money race" with China.
"We are not worried about a `domino effect' either. MOFA has a strategy to combat this," Chang said.
She said the 4,000 Taiwanese nationals in Costa Rica would not be affected by the split.
Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage. EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode. However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said. Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped
Foreign travelers entering Taiwan on a short layover via Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport are receiving NT$600 gift vouchers from yesterday, the Tourism Administration said, adding that it hopes the incentive would boost tourism consumption at the airport. The program, which allows travelers holding non-Taiwan passports who enter the country during a layover of up to 24 hours to claim a voucher, aims to promote attractions at the airport, the agency said in a statement on Friday. To participate, travelers must sign up on the campaign Web site, the agency said. They can then present their passport and boarding pass for their connecting international
UNILATERAL MOVES: Officials have raised concerns that Beijing could try to exert economic control over Kinmen in a key development plan next year The Civil Aviation Administration (CAA) yesterday said that China has so far failed to provide any information about a new airport expected to open next year that is less than 10km from a Taiwanese airport, raising flight safety concerns. Xiamen Xiangan International Airport is only about 3km at its closest point from the islands in Kinmen County — the scene of on-off fighting during the Cold War — and construction work can be seen and heard clearly from the Taiwan side. In a written statement sent to Reuters, the CAA said that airports close to each other need detailed advanced
Tropical Storm Fung-Wong would likely strengthen into a typhoon later today as it continues moving westward across the Pacific before heading in Taiwan’s direction next week, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. As of 8am, Fung-Wong was about 2,190km east-southeast of Cape Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan’s southernmost point, moving westward at 25kph and possibly accelerating to 31kph, CWA data showed. The tropical storm is currently over waters east of the Philippines and still far from Taiwan, CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said, adding that it could likely strengthen into a typhoon later in the day. It is forecast to reach the South China Sea
RSS