Eight priority cooperation projects signed between Taiwan and its six South Pacific allies have only set a direction, and it is still too early to discuss the exact amounts of money involved, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Spokesman Michel Lu (呂慶龍) said yesterday.
Lu made the remarks after President Chen Shui-bian (
Taiwan has pledged to promote eight priority cooperation projects in the fields of law enforcement training, digitized government, medical and public health, agriculture and fishery cooperation, economic partnership, alternative energy and environmental protection, tourism and Austronesian culture.
Lu said the details of the projects would be worked out in exchanges between Taiwan's embassies and its allies, taking into consideration the needs of the allies, as well as Taiwan's capabilities.
"No one will be able to calculate how much money will be spent, although the sums can't be as high as the media have speculated," he said.
Lu said the total foreign affairs budget is around NT$28 billion (US$853.65 million) a year -- and less than half of that is used for international cooperation projects.
The government can only provide limited resources for cooperation projects with its 23 allies, not counting the Vatican, he said.
"Taiwan excels in providing expert assistance in diplomatic cooperation projects, but it is incapable of engaging in dollar diplomacy competition with China and will never do so," Lu said.
He said China's spending is not subject to any checks. By comparison, Taiwan's diplomatic work is subject to intense public, legislative and media scrutiny, he said.
"Taiwan has to take into consideration its capacities and move in a pragmatic way along the path that is in its best interests," Lu said.
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