Malawi drops ties with Taiwan for China
01/14/2008 | 11:21 PM
TAIPEI, Taiwan - The African nation of Malawi has cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of relations with China, which has been using its rising political and economic clout to reduce the number of countries who recognize the island.
Three Taiwanese diplomats said Monday that their nation was breaking diplomatic ties with Malawi.
Soon after, Chinese state media said Beijing and Malawi had established diplomatic relations late last month.
In a press conference in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, Foreign Affairs Minister Joyce Banda confirmed that her nation was breaking its 42-year diplomatic relationship with Taiwan in favor of China.
"The Government of the Republic of Malawi recognizes that there is but one China in the world, the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and that Taiwan in an inalienable part of China's territory," she said.
China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949. Since then they have engaged in an all-out contest to win diplomatic allegiance from countries around the world.
In recent years, Chinese economic enticement have helped it persuade more countries to recognize Beijing instead of Taipei, reducing the number of Taiwan's allies to only 23 following Malawi's defection. China has relations with more than 170 countries.
Most of Taiwan's allies are small and impoverished nations in Latin America, Africa and the South Pacific.
"The Chinese government supports the Malawian government in its efforts to safeguard its state sovereignty and develop its economy," China's Xinhua News Agency quoted a joint communique as saying.
It did not say why Malawi's switch in relations to Beijing was not made public for more than two weeks.
Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Yang Tzu-pao charged that China had used underhanded means to steal away Malawi.
"We deeply regret that Malawi has decided to establish ties with China under Chinese threats and seduction," he told reporters. "We are terminating diplomatic relations with Malawi effective today."
He said China offered Malawi $6 billion to get it to switch sides, and criticized the country for carrying out the move when President Chen Shui-bian was visiting Latin America.
"This is a great humiliation to our government and the Taiwanese people," Yang said. "This is not something a self-proclaimed democratic country with 42-year-long relations with Taiwan should do."
Two senior Malawian diplomats visited Beijing last month. Taiwan's foreign minister James Huang had to abort a planned visit to Malawi in early January to shore up diplomatic support because officials refused to receive him.
Huang said last week that China could undermine the island's diplomatic standing around Saturday's Taiwanese legislative elections and the president's visit to Latin America.
Malawi is the third Taiwanese ally to defect to Beijing in the past 18 months. Chad switched sides in August 2006 and Costa Rica followed suit in June 2007.
"We are facing grave challenges on the diplomatic front," Huang told a group of reporters. - AP
Three Taiwanese diplomats said Monday that their nation was breaking diplomatic ties with Malawi.
Soon after, Chinese state media said Beijing and Malawi had established diplomatic relations late last month.
In a press conference in Malawi's capital, Lilongwe, Foreign Affairs Minister Joyce Banda confirmed that her nation was breaking its 42-year diplomatic relationship with Taiwan in favor of China.
"The Government of the Republic of Malawi recognizes that there is but one China in the world, the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and that Taiwan in an inalienable part of China's territory," she said.
China and Taiwan split amid civil war in 1949. Since then they have engaged in an all-out contest to win diplomatic allegiance from countries around the world.
In recent years, Chinese economic enticement have helped it persuade more countries to recognize Beijing instead of Taipei, reducing the number of Taiwan's allies to only 23 following Malawi's defection. China has relations with more than 170 countries.
Most of Taiwan's allies are small and impoverished nations in Latin America, Africa and the South Pacific.
"The Chinese government supports the Malawian government in its efforts to safeguard its state sovereignty and develop its economy," China's Xinhua News Agency quoted a joint communique as saying.
It did not say why Malawi's switch in relations to Beijing was not made public for more than two weeks.
Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Yang Tzu-pao charged that China had used underhanded means to steal away Malawi.
"We deeply regret that Malawi has decided to establish ties with China under Chinese threats and seduction," he told reporters. "We are terminating diplomatic relations with Malawi effective today."
He said China offered Malawi $6 billion to get it to switch sides, and criticized the country for carrying out the move when President Chen Shui-bian was visiting Latin America.
"This is a great humiliation to our government and the Taiwanese people," Yang said. "This is not something a self-proclaimed democratic country with 42-year-long relations with Taiwan should do."
Two senior Malawian diplomats visited Beijing last month. Taiwan's foreign minister James Huang had to abort a planned visit to Malawi in early January to shore up diplomatic support because officials refused to receive him.
Huang said last week that China could undermine the island's diplomatic standing around Saturday's Taiwanese legislative elections and the president's visit to Latin America.
Malawi is the third Taiwanese ally to defect to Beijing in the past 18 months. Chad switched sides in August 2006 and Costa Rica followed suit in June 2007.
"We are facing grave challenges on the diplomatic front," Huang told a group of reporters. - AP
