Taiwan mulls new diplomatic offensive in Latin America: newspaper
Taipei (dpa) - Taiwan's President Chen Shui-bian plans to attend the inauguration of Panamanian president-elect Daniel Ortega next week and launch diplomatic ties with a Latin American nation which recognizes China, a newspaper said on Tuesday.
The Liberty Times said the Foreign Ministry is arranging for Chen to attend the January 10 inauguration of Ortega and also visit Belize, which has ties with Taiwan, and another Latin American nation which does not have ties with Taiwan.
The paper said Foreign Minister Huang Chih-fang made a secret visit to St Lucia last month to try to restore diplomatic ties following the recent change of government. On that trip, Huang also visited a Latin American nation which had diplomatic ties with China.
In that country, the paper said, Huang met all the people he hoped to meet and called his trip "very fruitful."
China is nervous about Huang's trip to that country and is taking measures to prevent the unnamed nation from switching recognition from Beijing to Taipei, the paper said.
Taiwan, seat of the exiled Republic of China since 1949, has been suffering from international isolation since it lost China's seat in the United Nations to Beijing in 1971.
Currently, only 22 mostly-small nations recognize Taiwan while 170 countries recognize China and view the island as a breakaway province from the mainland.
As most of Taiwan's allies are in Latin America and Africa, Taipei and Beijing have been fighting a fierce diplomatic battle in these two regions to win over each other's allies.
Some small countries have switched back and force between Taipei and Beijing several times, depending on who gave more cash and aid. // © 2006 DPA
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