Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (
Chien said in the interview that media reports depicting his Central American visit as a trip of "checkbook diplomacy" were unfair.
Chien is on a visit to Taiwan's allies in Central America, including Nicaragua, El Salvador and Honduras.
PHOTO: AFP
Chien told the Nicaraguan newspaper that in many developed countries, a fixed ratio of the annual national budget is appropriated for foreign aid.
"The EU member countries, for example, appropriate 2.2 percent per year from their GNP for foreign aid, while in Taiwan, foreign aid represents only 0.17 percent of GNP," Chien said.
Chien said that Taiwan's financial aid to its diplomatic allies is simply fulfilling the nation's international obligation as a member of the global community.
Taiwan is funding the construction of Nicaragua's presidential office and ministry of foreign affairs. Chien denied that Taiwan's financial assistance to Nicaragua is meant to "buy allies."
He said that helping Nicaragua build the two offices will not only improve working conditions for Nicaraguan officials and help improve their efficiency, but will also help upgrade Nicaragua's competitiveness.
Flying from San Salvador, Chien yesterday arrived in Tegucigalpa, capital of Honduras, for talks to strengthen bilateral relations. Chien was met at Toncontin Airport by a Honduran government delegation headed by Foreign Minister Guillermo Perez Cadalso Arias.
Chien made no statements to the press. He is scheduled to meet with Honduran President Ricardo Maduro today.
In El Salvador on Saturday, the foreign minister promised that Taiwan would continue to provide technical assistance as the Central American nation seeks to develop its agriculture sector.
"We are in this country to consolidate agriculture and change the life of El Salvador by making agriculture an industry," Chien said.
Chien is visiting Latin America amid signs that China has stepped up efforts to woo away Taipei's allies in the region.
Half of the 28 countries that recognize Taiwan are in Latin America.
Chien attended a meeting Wednesday in Managua of the Mixed Commission for Cooperation between the Countries of the Central American Isthmus and the Republic of China (Taiwan).
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