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Taking one's sugar daddy for granted

Monday, May 26, 2008
That Taiwan hoses down its friends with money is hardly a revelation, but they are pushing their luck in Paraguay:

VP elect Federicao Franco: "I’ve met with authorities at the Taiwanese embassy and they confirmed to me that they will donate US$71 million to the country when the [Fernando] Lugo government assumes office on Aug. 15".

And this is what Taipei has to say:

"The incoming Lugo government has expressed its wish [for the donation], but we haven’t discussed any details yet".

And $71m is more than double the money Taipei was waving at Port Moresby, as noted earlier in the month.

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"It profits a man nothing to give his soul for the whole world... but for Papua New Guinea?

Wednesday, May 07, 2008
With apologies to Robert Bolt. The quote is not entirely appropriate, but indulge me, please:

Taiwan, rather sadly, has to buy its friends, given the clout the 'People's Republic' of China has. More's the pity - Taiwan is a liberal democracy, the PRC anything but. Anyway, Taipei decided that a friend in the South Pacific would be nice, and duly set about wooing Papua New Guinea, not with flowers, not with chocolates or even tickets to the opera, but rather with a huge bribe, cough, a substantial sum of 'aid'. How big? $29.8 million. Just under five bucks per head, but given that PNG's GDP per capita is $2,418, still a worthwhile sum.

Faintly embarrassing having to rent one's date, but that is not what has led to ministerial resignations. Some people resign when they foul up - inhabitants of Downing Street, kindly take note - the foul up being that Taiwan having concluded that rolling up to Port Moresby and pleading through the letter box for a chance was not worth the candle, one of the, ahem, go betweens ran off with the money. How very caddish. More here.

Experience should have told Taiwan that PNG is not that sort of girl - previously it has threatened Oz that it would accept less aid if a spat over a former AG of the Solomon Islands was not resolved.

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Dirty tricks, Taiwan style

Wednesday, December 19, 2007
The Kuomintang, traditionally the ruling party in Taiwan, but presently out of power, as the Democratic Progressive Party holds the reins, thinks the election might get dirty:

Feared tactics range from the pedestrian - "the DPP might attempt to attract votes with empty promises" (Erm, hello? This is a new technique?) and "[it might] harass KMT candidates with a barrage of never-ending telephone calls to their campaign headquarters" to the rather overblown - "The DPP could also assassinate Ma or Hsieh and then postpone the election".

After all, everybody loves an October (ahem, February) Surprise...

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What are they so worried about?

Tuesday, November 13, 2007
The thugs in Peking have got a little tetchy about arms sales by the US to Taiwan:

"China on Tuesday urged the United States to immediately cancel arms sale programs, stop arms sales and military links with Taiwan....China firmly opposes to arms sales by the US government to Taiwan, and had already raised strong objection and solemn representations to the United States, said Liu, noting that this has been a consistent and clear stance of China....Regardless of China's solemn stance and firm opposition, the United States took wrong actions in a row to sell the the P-3C anti submarine warfare aircraft, the Patriot II antimissile equipment upgrade systems and other advanced weapons, Liu said.Such wrongdoing severely violated the US government's commitments made to China in the joint communique signed between the two countries on August 17, 1982, rudely interfered in China's internal affairs, endangered Chinese national security and peaceful unification, also disturbed the improvement and development of China-US relations, Liu stressed".

So, in other words they are not best pleased. I would have thought that the 'People's Republic' would be all in favour of the Taiwanese 'wasting' their money, as I do not think that they are going to be storming the beaches of the mainland any time soon.

Here are some comparisons of military strength:

Standing army manpower

Taiwan - 300, 000
'PR'C - 2,250,000

Fit for military service

Taiwan - 3,870,000
'PR'C - 281,240,272 men (word used advisedly)

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Friends in low places

Friday, September 21, 2007
Taiwan has been turned down for UN membership for the 15th year in succession, to no-one's surprise.

However, here is the honour roll of countries that supported its application one way or another:

  • The Gambia
  • Honduras
  • Palau
  • St Vincent & The Grenadines
  • Solomon Islands

Well done people, but do not expect to be getting New Year cards from the PRC.

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