Malawi should choose wisely: Foreign minister

Taiwan's foreign minister James Huang said Malawi should choose wisely between relations with Taiwan or with China.

Huang made the remarks in a press conference on Friday. His comment came amid news reports that Malawi is to break off diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China. China forbids its allies from officially recognizing Taiwan.

Huang said for the moment links between Taiwan and Malawi remain unchanged. He also said the foreign ministry will do all it can to maintain the country's friendship with Malawi. But he said Taiwan will not compete with China on the basis of "dollar diplomacy."

Huang said Malawi is an important ally of Taiwan in Africa. He also said China has strategic ambitions to exploit Malawi's natural resources, while Taiwan cares about the improvement of the living standard of the Malawian people. Huang therefore called on Malawi to make its choice carefully.