Countries that have turned their backs on Taiwan will one day face the consequences of their actions, former El Salvadoran president Francisco Flores Perez said in Taipei.
Flores also said that China had no right to force its allies to sever relations with Taiwan as a condition to establishing ties with Beijing.
In an interview with the Taipei Times conducted on Friday, Flores, who led the Central American country from 1999 to 2004, said it was "morally inadmissible" for China to require countries to dump Taiwan in order to become China's ally.
"The request is morally inadmissible because it is an intervention in another country's sovereignty and China has no right to make such demands," he said.
Flores asserted that, in the era of globalization, countries benefit where there is a diversity in their foreign relations. However, the diversity should not come at the expense of another sovereign nation, he said.
When asked if he believed Costa Rica's abrupt break-up with Taiwan last June could trigger a domino effect in Central America, Perez declined to comment, except to say that countries that snuggle up with Beijing, thinking that they would profit from an economic boom, are suffering from an "illusion."
"One day those countries will realize that what they thought was an economic advantage may actually work against them. China will be a competitor to their local businesses instead of a complementary partner," he said.
Right now, he said, it has become a "fashionable trend" for countries to switch recognition from Taipei to Beijing.
"But soon these countries will realize the cost of turning their backs on Taiwan," he said.
Costa Rica stunned the nation last June when it decided to recognize Beijing over Taipei. The severance immediately sparked speculation of more switches from among Taipei allies in the region. It has been widely rumored that Panama, Paraguay and Nicaragua may follow suit in the near future.
Perez suggested that Taipei should be more aggressive in showing the world that "Taiwan meets the all the requirements to be part of the commonwealth of nations."
"I believe many nations will be more likely to establish ties with Taiwan once they know about this country," Flores said, adding that in his own country, "Taiwan is seen as a model of success in economic freedoms, human rights protection and poverty eradication."
El Salvador established relations with Taiwan in 1961.
Last August, on a trip to Central America, President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) signed a free trade agreement with El Salvadoran President Antonio Saca.
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
A rally held by opposition parties yesterday demonstrates that Taiwan is a democratic country, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday, adding that if opposition parties really want to fight dictatorship, they should fight it on Tiananmen Square in Beijing. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) held a protest with the theme “against green communists and dictatorship,” and was joined by the Taiwan People’s Party. Lai said the opposition parties are against what they called the “green communists,” but do not fight against the “Chinese communists,” adding that if they really want to fight dictatorship, they should go to the right place and face
A fugitive in a suspected cosmetic surgery fraud case today returned to Taiwan from Canada, after being wanted for six years. Internet celebrity Su Chen-tuan (蘇陳端), known as Lady Nai Nai (貴婦奈奈), and her former boyfriend, plastic surgeon Paul Huang (黃博健), allegedly defrauded clients and friends of about NT$1 billion (US$30.66 million). Su was put on a wanted list in 2019 when she lived in Toronto, Canada, after failing to respond to subpoenas and arrest warrants from the Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office. Su arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 5am today on an EVA Air flight accompanied by a