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China to work with Taiwan to keep ties warm: spokesman

ROC Central News Agency

2013/11/18 22:20:32

Beijing, Nov. 18 (CNA) China did not directly comment Monday on Taiwan's recent loss of a diplomatic ally, saying only that it was prepared to work with Taiwan to maintain the current positive trend in the bilateral relationship.

'We have noticed the change in the relationship between Taiwan and its so-called diplomatic ally,' Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang said a regular briefing, referring to the severance of official ties between Taiwan and The Gambia.

China has always maintained the policy of developing friendly and cooperative relationships with other countries based on the principles of one China and peaceful coexistence, he added.

'We are prepared to work with the Taiwan authorities in maintaining and promoting the benign situation of peaceful development in cross-strait relations,' Qin said.

He did not answer the question of whether Beijing would establish diplomatic ties with The Gambia now that the West African nation has chosen to cut off official relations with Taiwan after 18 years.

The Chinese government has turned down requests for formal ties from at least five of Taiwan's allies since cross-strait relations began to improve in 2008, according to a Chinese scholar.

That contrasted with the situation in previous years, in which Beijing and Taipei would try to outbid each other in trying to woo mostly small third-world countries from the other side.

In Taipei, senior officials and government leaders, including President Ma Ying-jeou, said Gambian President Yahya Jammeh's decision to break off relations with Taiwan was not the result of China's intervention.

(By Chou Hui-ying and Jay Chen)
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