Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) lawmakers yesterday said that China was the reason Sao Tome and Principe broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan, while the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus said foreign relations are tied to cross-strait issues and asked the government to pragmatically adjust its diplomatic strategy regarding Beijing.
DPP caucus secretary-general Liu Shih-fang (劉世芳) said that China was apparently behind more efforts to isolate the nation, citing the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ announcement on its Web site of the African nation’s decision immediately after the move was declared.
Beijing continues to suppress Taiwan’s international presence, despite the olive branch President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has offered in a bid to maintain close links and the cross-strait “status quo,” Liu said.
Photo: Wang Yi-sung, Taipei Times
The DPP caucus expressed regret over Sao Tome and Principe’s decision to end its decades-long friendship with Taipei on financial grounds, despite the island nation having received Taiwanese support for years, DPP Legislator Lo Chih-cheng (羅致政) said.
“We also express discontent over China’s instant acknowledgment of the decision. Apparently the two countries are singing the same tune,” Lo said, adding that Beijing’s actions would only push Taiwan away and provoke unnecessary conflict.
Despite the China factor, the severing of ties was mainly due to the African state’s demands for massive financial aid, he said.
Sao Tome and Principe reportedly sought US$210 million in financial support, although the government has not confirmed such a request and other figures have been cited.
“China is welcome to play pocketbook diplomacy if it is willing to spend that much money to establish ties with Sao Tome and Principe,” Lo said. “Taiwan does not want to play that game.”
Taiwan’s diplomatic situation has not changed because of local politics, as the Gambia ended diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2013 when former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) was in office, DPP Legislator Wang Ding-yu (王定宇) said.
“China’s suppression of Taiwan’s international space does not abate with a change of government in Taiwan,” Wang said. “We call for solidarity across political and ethnic lines against foreign interference.”
Wang said nations that value freedom and democracy should recognize the diplomatic difficulties Taiwan faces and condemn China’s actions, adding that Beijing’s attempts to lure Taiwan’s diplomatic allies is a bid to interfere with the nation’s democracy and autonomy.
The KMT caucus said that to avoid a possible “domino effect,” Tsai’s administration should adjust its foreign-relations strategy, which KMT caucus secretary-general Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) said “can not be separated from cross-strait relations.”
“After Tsai took office on May 20, there have been too many diplomatic incidents that [we are] sorry to have seen happen,” Chiang said, citing Minister of Health and Welfare Lin Tzou-yien’s (林奏延) failure to mention “Taiwan” in a speech at the World Health Assembly, the Permanent Court of Arbitration’s ruling on territorial claims in the South China Sea, and the lack of invitations from the International Civil Aviation Organization and Interpol to their annual assemblies.
“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was ‘discreetly optimistic’ before each of those episodes, but could only tell the public that they were ‘sorry’ afterward,” Chiang said, calling on the government to make strategic modifications to avoid “the next Sao Tome and Principe.”
US president-elect Donald Trump’s attitude toward the “one China” policy has made international headlines and foreign relations and national security officials should brace for a new Taiwan-China-US relationship, he said.
KMT caucus deputy secretary-general Alicia Wang (王育敏) said Minister of Foreign Affairs David Lee (李大維) should step down, as he was not aware that diplomatic ties had deteriorated.
KMT Legislator Lee Yan-hsiu (李彥秀) said the ministry has to be held accountable for not keeping abreast of diplomatic developments, mistakenly claiming many times that the diplomatic ties were stable.
Separately, Legislative Speaker Su Jia-chyuan (蘇嘉全) said Taiwan “cherishes each of its diplomatic friends and hopes it is likewise treated with sincerity, because we believe that a friend in need is a friend indeed.”
He called on all parties to stand firm and in solidarity for Taiwan in the face of difficult diplomatic situations, “especially when Beijing continues to suppress our international standing with its ‘one China’ principle.”
‘DENIAL DEFENSE’: The US would increase its military presence with uncrewed ships, and submarines, while boosting defense in the Indo-Pacific, a Pete Hegseth memo said The US is reorienting its military strategy to focus primarily on deterring a potential Chinese invasion of Taiwan, a memo signed by US Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth showed. The memo also called on Taiwan to increase its defense spending. The document, known as the “Interim National Defense Strategic Guidance,” was distributed this month and detailed the national defense plans of US President Donald Trump’s administration, an article in the Washington Post said on Saturday. It outlines how the US can prepare for a potential war with China and defend itself from threats in the “near abroad,” including Greenland and the Panama
The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) is maintaining close ties with Beijing, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) said yesterday, hours after a new round of Chinese military drills in the Taiwan Strait began. Political parties in a democracy have a responsibility to be loyal to the nation and defend its sovereignty, DPP spokesman Justin Wu (吳崢) told a news conference in Taipei. His comments came hours after Beijing announced via Chinese state media that the Chinese People’s Liberation Army’s Eastern Theater Command was holding large-scale drills simulating a multi-pronged attack on Taiwan. Contrary to the KMT’s claims that it is staunchly anti-communist, KMT Deputy
RESPONSE: The government would investigate incidents of Taiwanese entertainers in China promoting CCP propaganda online in contravention of the law, the source said Taiwanese entertainers living in China who are found to have contravened cross-strait regulations or collaborated with the Chinese Communist Party (CCP) could be subject to fines, a source said on Sunday. Several Taiwanese entertainers have posted on the social media platform Sina Weibo saying that Taiwan “must be returned” to China, and sharing news articles from Chinese state media. In response, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) has asked the Ministry of Culture to investigate whether the entertainers had contravened any laws, and asked for them to be questioned upon their return to Taiwan, an official familiar with the matter said. To curb repeated
Myanmar has turned down an offer of assistance from Taiwanese search-and-rescue teams after a magnitude 7.7 earthquake struck the nation on Friday last week, saying other international aid is sufficient, the National Fire Agency said yesterday. More than 1,700 have been killed and 3,400 injured in the quake that struck near the central Myanmar city of Mandalay early on Friday afternoon, followed minutes later by a magnitude 6.7 aftershock. Worldwide, 13 international search-and-rescue teams have been deployed, with another 13 teams mobilizing, the agency said. Taiwan’s search-and-rescue teams were on standby, but have since been told to stand down, as
RSS