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.
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