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Gambia case seen as warning to Taiwan's president-elect

ROC Central News Agency

2016/03/18 14:03:19

Taipei, March 18 (CNA) The head of the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said Friday that many people regard China's move to resume diplomatic relations with The Gambia as a warning to Taiwan's President-elect Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文).

Questioned by reporters, Hsia Li-yan (夏立言) said at the Legislative Yuan that he believes this is the feeling of many people.

Asked if it is a warning to Tsai and her incoming government, Hsia said that 'I think a lot of people see it that way.'

The MAC issued a statement after China and The Gambia resumed formal links the previous day, expressing its deep regret and strong discontent with Beijing's move, which it said is in the opposite direction of efforts to promote peace, stable development and mutual respect between the two sides of Taiwan Strait over the past eight years.

It will have a negative impact on the development of cross-Taiwan Strait relations, the MAC said.

The statement said that although Taiwan maintains no diplomatic links with The Gambia, the timing of China's resumption of ties with the African country 'will trigger international society's misreading of the development of cross-strait relations.'

'The mainland side has also failed to consider carefully that the move will have a negative impact on cross-strait relations,' the statement said.

The timing referred to the current power transition in Taiwan, when Tsai of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party will take office in May.

China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs and The Gambia issued a joint statement Thursday, saying that they had reestablished official relations after a 21-year suspension of diplomatic ties.

The Gambia maintained diplomatic ties with the Republic of China until 1974, when it severed ties and established diplomatic ties with Beijing. The Gambia then severed diplomatic ties with China in 1995 and resumed official ties with Taiwan that same year.

In November 2013, The Gambia unilaterally decided to break diplomatic relations with Taiwan. It then asked for formal ties with China but was given a 'no' answer until recently.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lu Kang (陸慷) said that the timing for the resumption of diplomatic ties between China and The Gambia was agreed upon by the two sides following consultation.

'The restoration of diplomatic ties between China and The Gambia targets no one ... There is no change to our position in promoting peaceful development of cross-strait relations,' Lu said at a press conference in Beijing Thursday.

In response, Premier Simon Chang (張善政) said Friday that he did not accept China's remarks on the matter.

'You can't just say the resumption of diplomatic relations is OK because The Gambia has severed ties with us for over two years,' Chang told the press at the Legislative Yuan.

(By Chen Chun-hua, Wen Kuei-hsiang and Elizabeth Hsu)
ENDITEM/J