Dismissing Beijing's criticism of the first Taiwan-Africa Summit, Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) said yesterday that the event was not a move toward independence and that China is the one conducting "checkbook diplomacy."
"The Taiwan-Africa Summit is a normal diplomatic activity, but Beijing's suppression of Taiwan's diplomatic presence has become so hysterical that it considers it a move toward independence," he said.
Huang made the remarks in response to reporters' questions about the cost of the summit at a press conference held after the first session of the meeting's closed-door discussions.
Huang also rejected Beijing's allegation that the summit was part of the administration's "dollar diplomacy,"and pointed out that Chinese President Hu Jintao (胡錦濤) promised to double China's aid to Africa from last year's level by 2009 at the Forum of China-Africa Cooperation held in Beijing last November.
Hu promised US$3 billion in loans, US$2 billion in export credits and a US$5 billion fund to encourage Chinese investment in Africa.
Huang said that Taiwan did not offer any new aid package or loan programs to any of the five African allies at yesterday's summit, although they were thinking of proposing an aid package similar to the "Jung Pang Project."
The "Jung Pang Project" refers to a NT$7.5 billion (US$250 million) investment project that Chen announced during his visit to Central America in October 2005. The funding is allocated to help the development of the nation's 12 allies in Central and South America.
Huang said he has visited Africa four times and believes the African market possesses great potential for further development. Using a Swaziland-based Taiwanese company as an example, Huang said the firm is helping the kingdom grow organic cotton.
President Chen Shui-Bian (
Taiwan is willing to share its experiences and achievements in this area, Chen said, but the cooperation and assistance must meet the individual needs of each country.
Taiwan would benefit from more integrated military strategies and deployments if the US and its allies treat the East China Sea, the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea as a “single theater of operations,” a Taiwanese military expert said yesterday. Shen Ming-shih (沈明室), a researcher at the Institute for National Defense and Security Research, said he made the assessment after two Japanese military experts warned of emerging threats from China based on a drill conducted this month by the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) Eastern Theater Command. Japan Institute for National Fundamentals researcher Maki Nakagawa said the drill differed from the
‘WORSE THAN COMMUNISTS’: President William Lai has cracked down on his political enemies and has attempted to exterminate all opposition forces, the chairman said The legislature would motion for a presidential recall after May 20, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) said yesterday at a protest themed “against green communists and dictatorship” in Taipei. Taiwan is supposed to be a peaceful homeland where people are united, but President William Lai (賴清德) has been polarizing and tearing apart society since his inauguration, Chu said. Lai must show his commitment to his job, otherwise a referendum could be initiated to recall him, he said. Democracy means the rule of the people, not the rule of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), but Lai has failed to fulfill his
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A 79-year-old woman died today after being struck by a train at a level crossing in Taoyuan, police said. The woman, identified by her surname Wang (王), crossed the tracks even though the barriers were down in Jhongli District’s (中壢) Neili (內壢) area, the Taoyuan Branch of the Railway Police Bureau said. Surveillance footage showed that the railway barriers were lowered when Wang entered the crossing, but why she ventured onto the track remains under investigation, the police said. Police said they received a report of an incident at 6:41am involving local train No. 2133 that was heading from Keelung to Chiayi City. Investigators
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