Amidst reports that Haiti is negotiating establishing diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China, there is speculation that the Dominican government is not pleased with the outcome of its own switch to China.
A feature in Acento online refers readers to a story in the Central News Agency (CNA) of Taiwan on the subject. Taiwan Foreign Minister Wu Hao says in an interview with CNA that there are many examples around the world where the People’s Republic of China has failed to deliver on its commitment to provide infrastructure and investment to countries that break their relations with Taiwan. He said that many countries are now into unsustainable high debt as a result of their new ties with China.
Foreign Minister Wu Hao in an interview with the Central News Agency on the 11 September and talked about the advantages and disadvantages of the diplomatic switch to alert other countries that have not yet severed ties with Taiwan.
He explained that Beijing’s common ploy is to commit to infrastructure construction, huge investments and easy loans. He mentioned recent cases of Sao Tome and Principe and Burkina Faso in Africa and the Dominican Republic in Latin America. In the case of the Dominican Republic, he mentioned China promised investment projects worth US$3 billion, but so far none have been started.
In the interview, Wu Hao mentions a president of a country that recently broke relations with Taiwan has regretted establishing diplomatic ties with China. He said the country is about to enter into a hot season of elections. He pointed out that this country has expressed to Taiwan through pipelines and emissaries that it would like to “re-establish the relationship with Taiwan.” Wu Hao said in the interview: “We think they hurt us too much at the time. Now, because China cannot fulfill its promises, it is necessary to look back to Taiwan. This is not our style.” He emphasized that this is a good opportunity for countries with Chinese illusions to think twice.
The interview is published on occasion of Solomon Islands signing for diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China.
The South China Morning Post recently reported that China is negotiating with the President of Haiti to grant interest-free loans for these to break with Taiwan.
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Acento
Listin Diario
17 September 2019