The government yesterday expressed its regret over Sao Tome and Principe’s decision to cut its 19-year-old diplomatic ties with Taiwan, acknowledging that “gambling behavior” by the African nation was prompted by Taipei’s denial of its request for an exorbitant amount of financial aid.
Speaking at an impromptu news conference in Taipei, Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) said that to safeguard the nation’s dignity, Taiwan would immediately cut its diplomatic ties with Sao Tome and Principe, shutter its embassy and halt any cooperative programs with the African nation.
“Since the establishment of diplomatic ties in May 1997, Taipei has assisted Sao Tome and Principe in promoting national development, with our bilateral cooperation touching upon the areas of public health, medicine, agriculture, basic infrastructure, energy and education,” Lee said.
Photo: CNA
Singling out Taiwan’s antimalarial scheme in the African nation, Lee said thanks to continuous efforts by Taiwan’s malaria prevention counseling delegation, malaria incidence in Sao Tome and Principe fell from 50 percent in 2003 to 1.01 percent last year.
Despite Taipei’s determination to do its utmost to help its diplomatic allies promote national development, Lee said Sao Tome and Principe’s financial hole is simply too deep for Taiwan to deal with.
“Accordingly, it disregarded its nearly 20-year friendship with us and approached both sides of the Taiwan Strait to seek the highest bidder. We regret and deplore Sao Tome and Principe’s reckless and unfriendly decision,” Lee said.
Photo: Chien Jung-fong, Taipei Times
He added that the incident would not cease Taipei’s resolve to expand the nation’s international space and push its “steadfast diplomacy.”
Asked to confirm media reports that Sao Tome and Principe had asked the government for NT$6.4 billion (US$199.9 million), Lee declined to reveal the actual amount.
“It did ask for an astronomical number, but we refused to play the checkbook-diplomacy game,” Lee said.
“We would rather initiate programs that actually improve the welfare of the people of Sao Tome and Principe. The African nation’s need for money to fill its financial hole is neither Taiwan’s responsibility, nor is it something we are willing to do,” Lee added.
Asked whether Beijing had attempted to lure Sao Tome and Principe with money, Lee said the government did not have that information, but it was regrettable that Beijing would take advantage of the African nation’s financial position to consolidate its “one China” principle.
Lee also denied the severance of ties was due to the President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) refusal to adhere to the so-called “1992 consensus,” which refers to a tacit understanding between the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Chinese Communist Party that both sides of the Taiwan Strait acknowledge there is “one China,” with each side having its own interpretation of what “China” means.
“Frankly speaking, if we look at the case of the Gambia, which broke its diplomatic ties with Taiwan in November 2013 and established a formal relationship with Beijing in March this year, that all occurred when the precondition of the ‘1992 consensus’ was met,” Lee said, referring to then-president Ma Ying-jeou’s (馬英九) adherence to the “1992 consensus.”
On the possibility that a domino effect could be set off with the nation’s other diplomatic allies, particularly the Vatican, Lee said given the nation’s diplomatic situation, that pressure would be omnipresent.
Nevertheless, the Vatican, unlike secular nations, does not require financial aid, Lee said.
Meanwhile, the Mainland Affairs Council yesterday issued a strongly worded statement denouncing Beijing resorting to “checkbook diplomacy” in attempting to reinforce its “one China” policy and inducing Sao Tome and Principe to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
“We hereby express our strong discontent and regret over the incident, which has hurt the feelings of Taiwanese, destabilized the Taiwan Strait and runs counter to Beijing’s oft-stated goal of pushing for the peaceful development of cross-strait relations,” the council said.
Stressing that the government has repeatedly demonstrated its goodwill since the Tsai administration took office in May, the council said it disapproved of China’s rigid mindset and its return to the “old path of confrontation,” urging Beijing to solemnly contemplate the possible consequences of its actions.
‘UNACCEPTABLE’: The foreign ministry said that China’s behavior broke international law, while Johnny Chiang was worried such balloons could be used against Taiwan A suspected Chinese surveillance balloon flying over the US was yesterday condemned by officials in Taipei and sparked calls for the government to plan countermeasures. The Pentagon on Thursday said it had detected a Chinese surveillance balloon flying over the country. Beijing has said the balloon is a civilian meteorological device that drifted into US territory after being blown off course. The National Security Bureau and Ministry of National Defense should investigate whether surveillance balloons could be used against Taiwan and prepare to respond to such acts, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said. US Secretary of State Antony Blinken’s postponement
INTELLIGENCE VALUE: While the US was working on recovering the balloon’s remains, China said that it reserved ‘the right to make ... necessary responses’ US President Joe Biden’s administration lauded the Pentagon for shooting down an alleged Chinese spy balloon off the US Atlantic coast on Saturday, but China angrily voiced its “strong dissatisfaction” at the move, and said it might make “necessary responses.” The craft spent several days flying over North America before it was targeted off the coast of the southeastern state of South Carolina with a missile fired from an F-22 plane, Pentagon officials said. It fell into relatively shallow water just 14m deep. US Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin called the operation a “deliberate and lawful action” that came in response to China’s
RISK FACTOR: ASEAN issued a statement saying the cross-strait situation ‘could lead to miscalculation,’ but it is willing to facilitate dialogue to ensure stability in the region The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday welcomed a joint statement by ASEAN leaders voicing concerns that the situation across the Taiwan Strait could affect regional stability. The statement was issued after the ASEAN Foreign Ministers’ Retreat ended on Saturday in Jakarta. It was the first major meeting since Indonesia assumed chairmanship of ASEAN this year. Attendees of the meeting reiterated their determination to promote “sustainable peace, security, stability, and prosperity within and beyond the region,” the statement said. They expressed concerns about developments across the Taiwan Strait and their “implications on regional stability,” the statement said. The cross-strait situation “could lead to miscalculation, serious
THINK TANK VISIT: The former US Indo-Pacific official said that a capture of Taiwan’s outlying islands by China rather than a large-scale attack is a grave security concern The US and Taiwan can deepen their relations on many fronts, former head of the US Indo-Pacific Command Philip Davidson said yesterday while visiting President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) at the Presidential Office. Davidson is leading a six-member delegation from the National Bureau of Asian Research, a US-based think tank. They arrived on Monday and are scheduled to depart tomorrow. Tsai met with the delegation yesterday morning, welcoming the organization on its first visit to Taiwan since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the office said in a statement. She thanked Davidson, a retired admiral, for paying close attention to matters regarding the Taiwan
RSS