After 18 years, Gambia breaks diplomatic relations with Taiwan
Taipei ( AsiaNews) - In a letter sent to the embassy in Taiwan, the president of the Gambia has announced that after 18 years diplomatic relations between the two countries "are to be immediately interrupted". Signed by President Yahya Jammeh , the letter claims that the decision "was born of strategic national interests " and hopes that the two nations "can remain friends". It is not clear if the decision is the result of a strengthening of relations between Gambia and mainland China, which in the last decade has undertaken an aggressive campaign of economic support to African countries in exchange for diplomatic relations and exploitation of natural resources . In any case, Taipei has expressed its "shock" at what it terms "a unilateral decision taken by Jammeh " .
The Banjul's defection leaves only Sao Tome and Principe , Burkina Faso and
Swaziland as the remaining African countries to recognize Taipei instead of
Beijing at a diplomatic level. Since 1971, when mainland China was admitted to
the United Nations , the total number of diplomatic allies of the island has
fallen to the current 22 , including the Vatican. Since the end of the civil
war in 1946 and the flight of nationalists to the island, Beijing has claimed
Taiwan as a "renegade province " to be annexed to the motherland ,
while Taipei terms itself the "legitimate government " of China, even
if they make no claim of sovereignty over the territory .
Over the decades, the two countries have challenged each other in what has been
called "yuan diplomacy", or economic support to the poorest countries to
achieve greater international status. Over the past 18 years, Taiwan has paid
tens of millions of dollars to support health, education, agriculture and
infrastructure in Gambia . The last project in chronological order - funded by
Taipei to the tune of 22 million dollars
- was the construction of 42 km of highway to connect the capital Banjul with
the western part of the country. In 2010, Jammeh called the island " one
of Gambia's best allies" , hoping that it "may soon take its rightful
place " on the world stage .
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21/08/2018 09:27
20/08/2004
12/10/2021 14:50
