Wed, Mar 31, 2004 page1

• Nation loses diplomatic ally Dominica

  FOREIGN RELATIONS Taiwan has halted all aid projects in Dominica and recalled its five-man technical mission after the Caribbean country switched recognition to Beijing

  • By Melody Chen / STAFF REPORTER
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  Taiwan has severed diplomatic ties with the Commonwealth of Dominica, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said yesterday, blaming China for trying to shame President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁) after his election victory.

  Dominica, a diplomatic ally of 21 years, had established ties with the People's Republic of China (PRC) on March 23.

  Minister of Foreign Affairs Eugene Chien (簡又新) said the ministry would immediately halt all aid projects to Dominica and close Taiwan's embassy there. The ministry has also called back Taiwan's five-man technical mission based in the Caribbean state.

  "The ROC government expressed strong displeasure and regret about the Dominican government's decision to establish diplomatic ties with the PRC under the latter's threats and allurement," said ministry spokesman Richard Shih (石瑞琦).

  China's official Xinhua news agency disclosed at 12:10am yesterday that Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing (李肇星) and Dominican Prime Minister Roosevelt Skerrit signed a joint communique on the establishment of diplomatic ties in Beijing on March 23.

  Chien blasted China's snatching away another Taiwanese ally as a deliberate act to shame Chen after he won the presidential election.

  "In June 2001, China established diplomatic ties with Macedonia when President Chen was visiting Latin America. In July 2002, China established diplomatic relations with Nauru on the same day President Chen took over the Democratic Progressive Party chairmanship," Chien said.

  After Macedonia, Nauru and Liberia, Dominica became the fourth ally Taiwan lost to China during Chen's term. The loss of the Caribbean state, however, sent shockwaves through the ministry, which has long viewed Latin America as a diplomatic stronghold.

  Taiwan's relations with Dominica began to deteriorate after Skerrit was appointed prime minister on Jan. 8, two days after former prime minister Pierre Charles died of a heart attack.

  Barely a week after Skerrit became prime minister, he asked Taiwan to give US$58 million in aid to his country. The aid package Skerrit demanded far exceeded the original amount Taiwan had agreed to provide for the two countries' cooperation projects, Chien said.

  When asked by Taiwanese diplomats to reduce the aid package to a reasonable amount, Skerrit threatened to establish diplomatic ties with China, Chien said.

  "In Skerrit's speech to the nation yesterday [Monday], he told his people that China has given the country US$117.5 million in aid," Chien said, adding that Skerrit said the money would be used for construction of public facilities such as hospitals, schools and roads.

  "Skerrit, only 32, does not fully understand international politics and harbors undue expectations of China ... Taiwan doesn't want to join a checkbook diplomacy race with China," Chien said.

  From January to this month, Taiwanese diplomats had been striving to dissuade Skerrit from building ties with Beijing through senior Dominican officials' help. But the efforts were in vain, Chien said.

  Noting Dominica, with a population of around 70,000, has neither strategic nor economic significance to China, Chien said the only purpose of China's work to establish diplomatic ties with the Caribbean state was to achieve its goal of "eliminating the ROC."

  "China wants to destroy all our diplomatic ties to virtually wipe out Taiwan's space for existence in the international community. But its behavior would neither help cross-strait relations nor earn the 23 million Taiwanese people's affection," Chien said.

  Chen and Premier Yu Shyi-kun were informed of Dominica's move early yesterday morning.

  Although Dominica switched diplomatic relations to Beijing, its foreign ministry still sent a congratulatory note on Chen's re-election, Chien said.

  At a ministry press conference at 10:30am, Chien, Javier Hou (侯清山), director general of the ministry's Department of Central and South American Affairs, and other ministry officials looked tired after an overnight marathon meeting to discuss the diplomatic loss.

  Grace Tong (董立群), a businesswoman who grew up in Taiwan and was educated in the US, acted as the intermediary between China and Dominica as the two sides negotiated the establishment of ties, Hou said.

  Hou said that, since February, Taiwanese diplomats have been keeping a close eye on Tong, whose business in Dominica had been suffering. She served as Antigua and Barbuda's representative to China and began working secretly to forge China's ties with Dominica, Hou said.
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