Ministry mum on rumors of Malawi severing ties

SWITCHING TO BEIJING? : MOFA said the Malawian foreign minister had reassured Taiwan that bilateral ties remained solid and questioned the endless speculation
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday declined to confirm media reports that Malawi would cut ties with Taiwan sometime this month, but said the government was exerting all efforts to salvage the 41-year-old friendship and that the Malawian foreign minister had said relations were unchanged.

"So far we have no new developments to report. We [Taiwan] hope Malawi will cherish our utmost and sincere friendship," said ministry spokesperson Pheobe Yeh (葉非比), while stressing that the rumored break-up had never been substantiated by the Malawian central government.

Yeh said Malawian Foreign Minister Joyce Hilda Banda had said on Friday that the ties between the two countries remained solid and the incessant media speculation was meaningless.

Banda was quoted by a Central News Agency (CNA) report as saying that before Malawi reached a decision on changing relations with Taiwan or China, any reports or information about such a decision were pure speculation.

Costa Rican Foreign Minister Bruno Stagno extended similar reassurances last June -- two days before the Central American country cut off six decades of friendship with Taiwan to snuggle up with Beijing.

A Malawian news outlet, Nyasa Times, fingered China as the one that sabotaged the meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs James Huang (黃志芳) and Malawian high-ranking officials, including Banda and President Bingu wa Mutharika.

The meeting came to a screeching halt on Thursday when Huang was already en route to Malawi. Ben Mbewe, secretary for Malawi's foreign affairs office, claimed the president was not available to receive Taiwan's envoy because "he was still on vacation" and that the government was not informed in time for Huang's visit.

Huang and his delegation were forced to make a last minute detour to another African ally, Swaziland.

Nyasa Times reported that Minister of Presidential and Parliamentary Affairs Davis Katsonga, who led a delegation to sign a memorandum of understanding with Beijing last month, had a "fruitful and enlightened" meeting with the Chinese officials, a source close to Katsonga said.

CNA reported that Katsonga said he refused to divulge the details of his Beijing trip and that no government could dictate Malawi's right to choose its friends.

Yeh said no one from the Malawian administration had stepped forward to make any official statements about it switching allegiance to China. Yeh added that Nyasa Times has been quoting an anonymous source since the rumor broke out two weeks ago.

However, the ministry does "have an idea" who has been advocating a switchover, Yeh said, adding that the pro-China group has a strong voice within the Malawian Cabinet.

She also confirmed the ministry had credible information that Beijing had offered a US$6 billion financial package to lure Malawi from Taiwan.

At last week's year-end press conference, Huang said that Taiwan would not engage in a dollar diplomacy race with Beijing and urged the nation's allies to think carefully when faced with the choice of "a solid unwavering friend" and a communist country.

The Nyasa Times quoted a Malawian political observer who cautioned Taiwan to tread carefully when negotiating with Mutharika, who ditched his original sponsoring party in 2004 to gain financial backing from Taiwan to launch his Democratic Progressive Party and secure his win.

One Nyasa Times reader called his government "chameleons" and said that forging ties with Beijing only benefits top officials but is detrimental to local shop owners, whose business will plummet once the Chinese inundate the country with their cheap goods.

Other readers applauded the possible switchover, saying the move would sharpen Malawi's competitive edge.

In related news, Huang received a warm reception in Swaziland, where he and his Swazi counterpart, Mathendele Dlamini, signed a 10-year cooperation pact.

Dlamini said Swaziland was grateful for Taiwan's assistance through the years and that under the leadership of King Mswati III, it would never disappoint Taiwan or shirk from supporting its participation in world organizations.