President Chen Shui-bian (
Upon arriving in Banjul yesterday, Chen was greeted by thousands of men and women dressed in colorful traditional outfits.
Many waved photographs of the president which read both in English and Chinese, "Welcome President Chen."
PHOTO: CHEN CHENG-CHANG, TAIPEI TIMES
In addition to a military salute, Chen was greeted with drums and dancing. The atmosphere was even more energetic and crowded than many of the rallies during Chen's election campaign.
Accompanied by Gambia's President Yahya Jammeh, the delegation traveled by motorcade to the Kairaba Beach Hotel.
While the trip lasted nearly a half-an-hour, flags of the Republic of China were seen along the streets in addition to photos of the Taiwanese president.
After arriving at the hotel, Chen was briefed by Taiwan's ambassador to Gambia, Lee Chen-hsiung (
During the meeting, Lee gave a detailed description of Taiwan's relations with Gambia and praised the country as one Taiwan's strongest allies.
Lee said that last year Jammeh's address in support of Taiwan was one of the longest addresses at the UN.
Gambia has also said it will not attend a conference in Beijing later this month which China has invited Taiwan's allies to attend, Lee said.
"What Gambia needs the most is help from Taiwan's industrial sector," Lee said.
After the briefing, Chen said that many people in his delegation were traveling to West Africa for the first time. Three years ago, when Taipei City became a sister city to Banjul, I was planning to come here to visit, Chen said.
"But when my grandmother passed away, I sent Vice Mayor Chen Shih-meng (
Chen confessed that originally he didn't dare think of visiting two continents in one trip.
However, after some encouragement from foreign ministry officials, he decided to visit Africa as well, Chen said.
"We decided to visit both, three countries in each, to be fair," Chen said.
Chen said that the first stop in Africa had significant meaning. Chen remarked on how happy he was that so many people had come out to greet the delegation from Taiwan.
"When we saw those people smiling and welcoming us we were impressed," Chen said.
"That must be why Gambia was once called the smiling coast. It is a country of smiling people," Chen said.
The second leg of Chen's trip in Africa will be a crucial one as China plans to invite Taiwan's allies to Beijing soon after Chen's visit.
China, which accuses Taiwan of buying diplomatic support, has invited eight of the island's allies in Africa to an economic aide forum in Beijing in October.
From Gambia, the president's tour will travel to Burkina Faso and Chad before heading home on Aug. 25.
Gambia, a country of just over one million people, is in the grip of an electricity crisis that dates back to 1977. Power outages are a daily feature of life. Engineers from Taiwan have been studying the problem.
The two countries established diplomatic relations in 1995, a year after President Jammeh came to power in a coup.
Taiwan has built an airport there and a triumphal arch. Sources say that it has pumped more than US$35 million into the Gambian economy, particularly into the health sector.
The story is the same in Burkina Faso and Chad. Government sources in Chad, which established diplomatic ties in 1997, say that Taiwan has granted aid worth US$128 million in areas such as health, education, water projects and transportation.
Gambia's neighbor, Senegal, is probably the most important of the eight African countries that recognize Taiwan.
Diplomats say Chen wanted to visit but that President Abdoulaye Wade, elected in March, responded with a diplomatic "No" -- saying that the government was on holiday at present.
Taiwan's other African supporters are Liberia and Sao Tome in the west and Malawi and Swaziland in the south.
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