Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen. (Photo : Getty Images)
The Republic of China (Taiwan) accused China of bribing the Democratic Republic of São Tomé and Príncipe off the western coast of Africa into abruptly severing diplomatic relations with it on Dec. 21.
On the other hand, China welcomed the move as a win for its One China Policy, leaving only 21 countries with which Taiwan has diplomatic relations.
An impoverished former Portuguese colony, São Tomé and Príncipe relies heavily on foreign aid for survival.
A statement by Taiwan President Tsai ing-wen said Taiwan deeply regrets China took advantage of the financial difficulties faced by São Tomé and Príncipe to manipulate the "One China Policy."
"This kind of approach not only hurts the feelings of the Taiwanese people, but also undermines the stability across the Taiwan Strait," she said. She believes China's approach is impractical to the long-term development of cross-strait ties.
The Mainland Affairs Council also issued a statement to express its strong discontent and regret mainland China cajoled São Tomé and Príncipe into ending diplomatic ties with the ROC.
Tsai said the ROC is fully able to provide assistance to the nation's diplomatic allies across various fronts and has been more than willing to contribute to allies' development to the fullest extent of its abilities.
"However, it is not our approach to engage in diplomatic games by the means of money."
Tsai noted that Taiwan has long been confronted with the same external challenges regardless of which party governs, or which polices each administration adopts when it comes to cross-strait relations. This is the reality that the entire nation must squarely face, she said.
"The cross-strait issue is not about differences in polices. What matters most is whether or not the people of Taiwan will come together to address this issue effectively."
Last Dec. 9, the Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) said in a report that "São Tomé and Principe's growth has been subdued, though still positive, reflecting delayed external financing that affected spending on key growth-enhancing capital projects.
"While the macroeconomic outlook is positive, fiscal and debt sustainability concerns remain critical to maintain a careful balance between growth-enhancing spending and macroeconomic stability.
The IMF, therefore, approved a further disbursement of funds for the island nation, bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to some US$2.6 million.
