Taiwan, China will not poach diplomatic allies: Ma

Taiwan and China have a “tacit agreement” not to poach diplomatic allies from each other, the island’s President Ma Ying-jeou was quoted as saying by aides on Thursday.

“Both sides have a tacit agreement on a diplomatic truce that both sides will not go after each other’s diplomatic allies,” Ma said Wednesday, according to Taiwan’s presidential office.

“(This is) in the hope of maintaining peaceful co-existence and mutual respect in the international community,” he was quoted as telling visiting Haitian Foreign minister Alrich Nicolas.

Taiwan and China have been governed separately since the end of a civil war in 1949, but Beijing still considers the island part of its territory and has vowed to get it back eventually, by force if need be.

As a result of this policy, China demands that all its diplomatic allies cut official ties with Taiwan.

Taiwan now has diplomatic relations with just 23 countries, most of them small and developing nations.

In the past, Taipei and Beijing have accused each other of using “chequebook diplomacy” to seek diplomatic recognition by offering economic aid to prospective allies.

Haiti is one of the countries with diplomatic ties to Taiwan.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090910/wl_asia_afp/taiwanchinadiplomacy_20090910040537

 

Category: China