Taiwan-Marshall Islands ties remain same, MOFA insists

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday refuted a news report which said that Taiwan's Asia Pacific ally Marshall Islands is likely to end its diplomatic recognition of Taiwan after a new president is elected.

The report said that Litokwa Tomeing, the newly elected president of Marshall Islands, had beaten two-term former President Kessai Note by 18 votes 15 in a close election that was marked by controversy and recounts.

The report had pointed out Tomeing's victory in the election is likely to end the South Pacific nation's diplomatic ties with Taiwan, since Tomeing had previously vowed during the elections in November that his country should end diplomatic recognition of Taiwan and instead adhere to the "One-China" policy.

In reaction to the report, MOFA spokesperson Phoebe Yeh (葉非比) said that her ministry was aware of Tomeing's remark and has communicated with him via Taiwan's ambassador stationed in Marshall Islands in light of his comment.

"Tomeing had reiterated many times that his administration will continue to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan after he won the election," said Yeh.

She added that Tomeing's current party, the Ailin Kein Ad (Our Island) party was the ruling party when Taiwan established diplomatic ties with the nation in 1998.

Therefore, most of the members of the AKA party had expressed a consensus that the nation should continue to sustain relationship with Taiwan, disclosed Yeh.

Yeh, however, admitted that MOFA had learned through various channels before that the Chinese government had intended to interfere in the Marshall Islands' election by funneling a large amount of money through some local Taiwanese businessmen.

The MOFA will continue to observe the political situation in Marshall Islands, said Yeh.

After the Malawi incident, the Marshall Islands is the second country in the past month that had reportedly planned to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

A report in the "Nyasa Times" of Malawi on December 22, 2007 said that Malawi's President Bingu wa Mutharika had sanctioned severing diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of China.

Though Mutharika later had admitted that he had dispatched two senior Cabinet ministers to Beijing, he would not disclose whether if his country will officially announce establishing ties with China.

In the wake of the news, Huang was scheduled to fly to Malawi to consolidate diplomatic ties, but his trip was later canceled at the request of Malawian officials.

The MOFA labeled the last minute cancelation as "unusual."

The Marshall Islands, officially the Republic of the Marshall Islands, is a Micronesian island nation in the western Pacific Ocean that achieved independence in 1986 after being administrated by the United States.

The country had established diplomatic ties with China in 1990, but relations between the both sides deteriorated and it finally severed its ties with China and establish diplomatic ties with Taiwan instead in 1998.