While China insisted that it was not involved in the Gambia’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, lawmakers yesterday demanded that the government review President Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) policy of “flexible diplomacy” and take precautions to prevent a domino effect in the wake of the incident.
Gambian President Yahya Jammeh announced on Thursday that diplomatic relations with Taiwan would be severed with immediate effective.
Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Hong Lei (洪磊) said in response to media queries, said that Beijing was caught unaware by the move and that China was not in contact with the Gambia.
Photo: Liu Hsin-de, Taipei Times
In Taipei, politicians across party lines cast doubt on the effectiveness of Ma’s policy of “flexible diplomacy” that underpinned the nation’s “diplomatic truce” with China.
The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) issued a three-point statement saying that the incident demonstrated the failure of Ma’s policy of “flexible diplomacy” and that the government must immediately engage in crisis management to prevent a domino effect.
The DPP demanded that the government explain in detail why the Gambia cut the ties and that officials in charge of national security and diplomatic affairs resign.
The party also asked Ma to shift his policy away from managing cross-strait relations as a priority to focusing on foreign policy and issues of international and regional concerns.
Meanwhile, government officials, Presidential Office Secretary-General Timothy Yang (楊進添), Premier Jiang Yi-huah (江宜樺) and Deputy Vice Foreign Minister Simon Ko (柯森耀), all said that the incident could be attributed more to Jammeh’s “personal characteristics” than either China or Ma’s policy.
Jammeh did not give any reason as to why it has also withdrawn from the Commonwealth after 48 years and that the UK was also in the dark, they said.
DPP Legislator Tsai Huang-liang (蔡煌瑯) asked the government to be vigilant about relationships with El Salvador, Honduras, Paraguay and the Dominican Republic, saying that all are in danger.
The government should terminate aid projects, which are being implemented in the Gambia, DPP Legislator Hsueh Ling (薛凌) said.
According to DPP Legislator Liu Chao-Hao (劉櫂豪), the aid projects for the Gambia in next year’s government budget were valued at NT$400 million (US$13.5 million).
Jiang did not take the advice, saying that the government would only end the projects — including in the areas of medicine and construction and agriculture — if it fails to retain relations with the Gambia.
Should the government fail to retain ties, about 200 Gambian students studying in Taiwan under scholarship schemes run by the government will not face immediate deportation to the Gambia, Jiang said.
Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Lin Yu-fang (林郁方), an outspoken supporter of “flexible diplomacy,” said the government has to get to the bottom of the situation of whether China broke the tacit agreement that underpinned the policy of “flexible diplomacy.”
A preclearance service to facilitate entry for people traveling to select airports in Japan would be available from Thursday next week to Feb. 25 at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport, Taoyuan International Airport Corp (TIAC) said on Tuesday. The service was first made available to Taiwanese travelers throughout the winter vacation of 2024 and during the Lunar New Year holiday. In addition to flights to the Japanese cities of Hakodate, Asahikawa, Akita, Sendai, Niigata, Okayama, Takamatsu, Kumamoto and Kagoshima, the service would be available to travelers to Kobe and Oita. The service can be accessed by passengers of 15 flight routes operated by
Chinese spouse and influencer Guan Guan’s (關關) residency permit has been revoked for repeatedly posting pro-China videos that threaten national security, the National Immigration Agency confirmed today. Guan Guan has said many controversial statements in her videos posted to Douyin (抖音), including “the red flag will soon be painted all over Taiwan” and “Taiwan is an inseparable part of China,” and expressing hope for expedited reunification. The agency last year received multiple reports alleging that Guan Guan had advocated for armed reunification. After verifying the reports, the agency last month issued a notice requiring her to appear and explain her actions. Guan
GIVE AND TAKE: Blood demand continues to rise each year, while fewer young donors are available due to the nation’s falling birthrate, a doctor said Blood donors can redeem points earned from donations to obtain limited edition Formosan black bear travel mugs, the Kaohsiung Blood Center said yesterday, as it announced a goal of stocking 20,000 units of blood prior to the Lunar New Year. The last month of the lunar year is National Blood Donation Month, when local centers seek to stockpile blood for use during the Lunar New Year holiday. The blood demand in southern Taiwan — including Tainan and Kaohsiung, as well as Chiayi, Pingtung, Penghu and Taitung counties — is about 2,000 units per day, the center said. The donation campaign aims to boost
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) said a magnitude 4.9 earthquake that struck off the coast of eastern Taiwan yesterday was an independent event and part of a stress-adjustment process. The earthquake occurred at 4:47pm, with its epicenter at sea about 45.4km south of Yilan County Hall at a depth of 5.9km, the CWA said. The quake's intensity, which gauges the actual effects of a temblor, was highest in several townships in Yilan and neighboring Hualien County, where it measured 4 on Taiwan's seven-tier intensity scale, the CWA said. Lin Po-yu (林柏佑), a division chief at the CWA's Seismological Center, told a news conference
RSS