The Gambia is not an individual case: It is a game changer Lee Ming-hsien, Shu Tzu-rong and Staff Reporter 2013-11-20 08:43 (GMT+8) Ma Ying-jeou happily locks hands with the Gambias president, Yahya Jammeh, on his visit to the West African country in April last year. (Courtesy of the Presidential Office) Ma Ying-jeou happily locks hands with the Gambias president, Yahya Jammeh, on his visit to the West African country in April last year. (Courtesy of the Presidential Office) The administration of President Ma Ying-jeou is strongly urged to correct the trajectory of its diplomatic policies, as even during the so-called diplomatic truce with China, the Gambia has still decided to sever its official ties with the Republic of China (Taiwan). The reason for the move is reportedly unknown, and both Taipei and Beijing claim that the Chinese government was not involved in this issue. One possible theory, cited by the Diplomat, is that the Gambias president, Yahya Jammeh, had gambled on his own initiative, hoping to establish ties with Beijing and benefit from Chinas massive and growing investment in Africa. Beijing has said it will not establish diplomatic ties with the Gambia, even though Jammeh has apparently posted on his Facebook page that he recognizes the Peoples Republic of China as the only China. For the African countries with the raw materials that China wants, railroads are built to transport coal or wood, dams are constructed in rapid order to produce electricity for future Chinese factories, while oilfields work for Chinas benefit. With China offering such infrastructure investment, not to mention loans at low rates of interest and none of the restrictions that Western countries typically attach, it is hard for many African countries to resist to such attractive conditions. Among Taiwans remaining allies, the Dominican Republic and Republic of Panama have already established representative offices in China to secure their economic interests. Sao Tome and Principe is also reportedly preparing to establish an office in China as well. It is foreseeable that these countries may upgrade their relations with China from purely economic to political. What will happen if these countries make a bid to forge full official ties with both Taiwan and China? How will Taiwan react? It seems that the diplomatic truce Ma has proposed up until now is ineffective to face the changing situation. The idea that foreign countries are happy to keep their relationship with Taiwan while having an economic relationship with China so that Both Taiwans relations with China will deepen and Taiwans international status will also be enhanced has now been exposed in all its frailty. This is already a serious warning. It is also true that Taiwan does not need its diplomatic allies as much as it did in the past, when the island counted on them to regain its seat at the United Nations. Under the new cross-strait detente, more importance has been laid upon Taiwans participation in regional economic and trade organizations, as well as civilian aviation organizations and other UN peripheral institutions. A country must constantly modify its diplomacy strategy in order to free itself of the myth of number of diplomatic allies. It is important to dispatch diplomacy personnel in the fields that need to be worked in, instead of awaiting Beijings goodwill or clemency. Although Beijing has promised that it will not vie for Taiwans allies as in the past, Ma should not be satisfied as the diplomatic truce has been one of his oft-cited achievements as president. He must rethink and redefine the countrys strategy, whether cross-strait relations should be held superior to everything else, or equally important. The Gambia cutting its Taiwan ties is a game-changer for Mas administration. Decision makers in Taipei should not see this as an individual case, as they have said. It is rather is a pivotal point in future policy-making. The next country to cut its ties with Taiwan without even being lured by China could come sooner sooner than we expect.
Posted on: Wed, 20 Nov 2013 10:48:26 +0000
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