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Taiwan to seek better interactions with unofficial allies

ROC Central News Agency

2012/01/16 16:56:22

By Elaine Hou

Taipei, Jan. 16 (CNA) Taiwan plans to seek more frequent interactions with high-level officials in countries that have no official ties with Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Monday, two days after President Ma Ying-jeou won a second four-year term in office.

During two presentations on the results of the Jan. 14 presidential and legislative elections, Deputy Foreign Minister Tung Kuo-yu told more than 60 foreign ambassadors and officials stationed in Taipei that Taiwan will stick with its current diplomatic policies.

Meanwhile, Taiwan will seek to "enhance high-level interactions" and conduct regular communications with unofficial allies, Tung added.

Taiwan and China no longer engage in "dollar diplomacy" to lure each other's diplomatic allies as the relationship between the two sides has improved significantly since Ma took office in 2008.

Ma said Sunday that further strengthening bilateral ties between Taiwan and the United States will be one of the most important goals of his new administration over the next four years.

Tung also reiterated the Ma administration's policy to continue improving ties with China during the separate 10-minute presentations, one for Taiwan's diplomatic allies and the other for nations without formal ties with Taiwan.

At one of the briefings, Gambian Ambassador Alhaji Ebrima N.H. Jarjou congratulated Taiwan for its democratic electoral process, praising the country as a "shining example of democracy."

Gambia is one of Taiwan's 23 diplomatic allies.

Attendees at the briefings included the United Kingdom's representative to Taiwan David Campbell, Canadian representative to Taiwan Scott Fraser and Israel's representative to Taiwan Simona Halperin, as well as diplomatic personnel from Japan, Singapore, the European Union and the U.S.