While relations with the nation’s diplomatic allies remain stable, China has been increasingly active in its attempts to poach Caribbean and Central American allies, including Haiti and the Dominican Republic, a government source said on Saturday.
“If China takes a heavy-handed approach, there is little we can do,” the source said.
Even when former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was in office, Beijing was incessantly active, despite the so-called “diplomatic armistice,” the source said, citing political maneuvering by the former China Commercial Office in Panama.
Head representative of China’s Office of Commercial Development in the Dominican Republic, Fu Xinrong (傅新蓉), was previously deputy director of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office, which on Friday announced plans to invest US$820 million to build an incinerator, natural gas plant and hydro power plant in the Dominican Republic.
China is investing through direct injection of government funds, as well as through infrastructure projects run by its state-owned enterprises, the source said.
“Even if they sustain losses, they will take on these projects,” the source said. “Decades ago, Taiwanese enterprises would do the same to help with foreign affairs efforts, but what state-owned enterprise in Taiwan can do this today?”
Other nations have assisted Taiwan in stabilizing its relationship with the Dominican Republic, but the stability is only temporary, the source said.
China is capable of spending a large sum of money to poach the Dominican Republic as a diplomatic ally, the source said, adding: “Even among the relatively more stable allies in the South Pacific, there are some who will negotiate with Beijing.”
As China has more than 170 diplomatic allies, it is likely that giving a large amount of money to just a handful of them will cause strife with others, the source said.
It is likely that the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs is not deciding which of Taiwan’s allies to go after, but rather Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) is, the source added.
“As US President Donald Trump is set to visit China, analysts say the US is carefully watching China’s attitude,” the source said. “As [former Australian prime minister] Tony Abbott has said: ‘China-focused policies are all about greed and fear — on the one hand hoping for an expanded market, while on the other hand worrying about threats and security.’”
The Central Weather Administration (CWA) today issued a sea warning for Typhoon Fung-wong effective from 5:30pm, while local governments canceled school and work for tomorrow. A land warning is expected to be issued tomorrow morning before it is expected to make landfall on Wednesday, the agency said. Taoyuan, and well as Yilan, Hualien and Penghu counties canceled work and school for tomorrow, as well as mountainous district of Taipei and New Taipei City. For updated information on closures, please visit the Directorate-General of Personnel Administration Web site. As of 5pm today, Fung-wong was about 490km south-southwest of Oluanpi (鵝鑾鼻), Taiwan's southernmost point.
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
Almost a quarter of volunteer soldiers who signed up from 2021 to last year have sought early discharge, the Legislative Yuan’s Budget Center said in a report. The report said that 12,884 of 52,674 people who volunteered in the period had sought an early exit from the military, returning NT$895.96 million (US$28.86 million) to the government. In 2021, there was a 105.34 percent rise in the volunteer recruitment rate, but the number has steadily declined since then, missing recruitment targets, the Chinese-language United Daily News said, citing the report. In 2021, only 521 volunteers dropped out of the military, the report said, citing
Nearly 5 million people have signed up to receive the government’s NT$10,000 (US$322) universal cash handout since registration opened on Wednesday last week, with deposits expected to begin tomorrow, the Ministry of Finance said yesterday. After a staggered sign-up last week — based on the final digit of the applicant’s national ID or Alien Resident Certificate number — online registration is open to all eligible Taiwanese nationals, foreign permanent residents and spouses of Taiwanese nationals. Banks are expected to start issuing deposits from 6pm today, the ministry said. Those who completed registration by yesterday are expected to receive their NT$10,000 tomorrow, National Treasury
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