President slams China's 'three termination' policy against Taiwan
ROC Central News Agency
2008-01-15 12:04:46
Guatemala City, Jan. 14 (CNA) President Chen Shui-bian lashed out at China Monday for its "three termination" diplomatic strategy against Taiwan in denouncing African ally Malawi's switching of diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
Chen warned that China is engaged in a "three termination" offensive under which China will "take all" of Taiwan's diplomatic allies, "block all" of Taiwan's international channels and "crush all" of its international presence.
The president was in Guatemala City to attend the Jan. 14 inauguration of Guatemalan President-elect Alvaro Colom when Malawi announced its decision to sever ties with 42-year ally Taipei in favor of Beijing.
China reportedly offered the small southeastern African state US$6 billion in incentives to switch allegiance.
Foreign Affairs Minister James Huang, traveling with Chen, said the president is assessing the impact of the latest diplomatic setback.
Huang said he strongly protested Malawi's deceit over its dealings with China to the African country's foreign minister, Joyce Hilda Banda.
The country's representatives, including its ambassador to Taiwan Thengo Maloya, had assured Taiwan in late December that bilateral relations remained unchanged.
China's Foreign Ministry confirmed on its Web site Monday, however, that Beijing signed the deal with Malawi establishing diplomatic ties on Dec. 28 last year, well in advance of Monday's announcement.
Huang lambasted China's "dirty trick" of publicizing its diplomatic victory while President Chen is on a diplomatic mission abroad. "We are not surprised by China's unveiling of its deal with Malawi at this moment. We have foreseen that China would wait until after Taiwan's legislative elections to launch a diplomatic blitz to dishearten and demoralize the Taiwanese people and humiliate our head of state," Huang said.
It was not the first time China had used a diplomatic coup to embarrass Taiwan. Beijing forced Chad to announce it had severed ties with Taiwan on Aug. 6, 2006, just hours before then-Premier Su Tseng-chang was to board a plane to attend Chadian President Idriss Deby's inauguration.
Over the past month, Taiwan had tried to communicate with Malawi on saving bilateral ties, Huang said, but Malawi kept Taiwan in the dark over its negotiations with China on forging diplomatic links.
Taiwan has been true to its word and cooperated with the utmost sincerity all along, Huang said, but the Malawian government showed its true colors by establishing ties with China and then stooped even lower by agreeing to China's request to make the announcement at a time when President Chen is on an official visit overseas.
Such conduct was enormously insulting and unbefitting of a nation calling itself democratic and which had been a friend of Taiwan for 42 years, Huang lamented.
Asked whether Malawi's move would cause any chain reaction or domino effect, Huang said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) will take active steps to shore up ties with the country's four allies in Africa -- Swaziland, Burkina Faso, Sao Tome and Principe, and The Gambia. He did not anticipate any domino effect in Africa caused by Malawi's defection.
With some quarters already calling for MOFA officials to take political responsibility for the latest setback, Huang said it would be easy for him to resign, but that the most important task now is to have the whole diplomatic team work in synergy to take on various challenges ahead.
He urged Taiwan's people not to harbor any illusions about cross-Taiwan Strait relations because China will never ease its diplomatic suppression of Taiwan.
(By Huang Jui-hung and Sofia Wu)
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