On August 25 President Chen Shui-bian wrapped up his first overseas trip since taking office, swinging through three countries in Latin America and another three in Africa. While in the Dominican Republic to attend the inauguration of President Hipolito Mejia, Chen had a chance to meet with the leaders of many different nations. The president signed joint communiques with Nicaragua, Gambia, and Chad, and agreed to provide US$4.6 million worth of loans to the Dominican Republic to serve as a guarantee to help the latter secure a loan from the International Monetary Fund.
"We cannot use pressure from Beijing as an excuse for our diplomatic setbacks," said Chen, who used concrete actions to demonstrate to ROC's allies that our country has no intention of pulling back from its diplomatic partnerships; on the contrary, the ROC will be working even harder than before.
Chen Shui-bian left on August 13 for a 13-day trip that included state visits to the Latin American nations of the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Costa Rica, as well as the west African nations of Gambia, Burkina Faso, and Chad.
Before boarding the plane on the 13th, Chen Shui-bian delivered a short speech in which he stated, "Taiwan must stand up and be counted." The purpose of this trip, said Chen, is to share Taiwan's experiences with other countries, and he also indicated the hope that this trip would help to solidify Taiwan's diplomatic relations.
The entourage was the largest ever to accompany an ROC president abroad, and included: Chuang Ming-yao (secretary-general, National Security Council), Tien Hung-mao (minister of foreign affairs), Lin Hsin-yi (minister of economic affairs), Chen Po-chih (chairman, Council of Economic Planning and Development), Chen Hsi-huang (chairman, Council of Agriculture), Chung Chin (head of the Government Information Office), Jeffrey Koo (chairman of the National Association of Industry and Commerce), Wang Yu-tseng (chairman of the General Chamber of Commerce of the ROC), and Lin Kun-chung (chairman of the Chinese National Federation of Industries). There were also many legislators in the delegation, including Hung Chi-chang, Helen Chu, Feng Ting-kuo, and Li Yin-yun. (Li is soon to assume a position as deputy director of the ROC diplomatic post in Washington, DC.) The total size of the delegation came to nearly 200 people, including more than 50 journalists.
The president kept to a very tight schedule during the trip. After a brief stopover in Los Angeles on the 13th, Chen continued on and reached the Dominican Republic on the 14th. He attended the presidential inauguration there on the 16th, and was able to meet with the leaders and representatives of friendly nations from around the world. On the 17th he continued on to Nicaragua, where he met with President Arnoldo Aleman and delivered a speech to the Nicaraguan National Assembly. On the 18th, presidents Chen and Aleman signed a joint communique before Chen Shui-bian departed for Costa Rica, where he received the Great Cross of Juan Mora Fernandez, a gold medal which is the nation's highest award. On the 20th he flew across the Atlantic Ocean to Gambia to meet with Gambian President Yahya Jameh before heading on to Burkina Faso and a dinner with President Blaise Compaore. On the 23rd Chen delivered a speech to the Gambian parliament. The next stop on the itinerary was Chad, where Chen dined with Chad's President Idris Debi. On the 25th Chen and Debi signed a joint communique and held a press conference before heading back to Taiwan slightly ahead of schedule to oversee efforts to deal with the powerful Typhoon Bilis.
Chen's stopover in Los Angeles was a sensitive subject, for Chen had originally planned an informal meeting with several mem
On the bright side, Taiwan has scored a few points of its own in this diplomatic tug of war. When Chen arrived in Costa Rica on the 18th, his hosts departed from the pattern of the past few years by promising to support the ROC s bid for membership in the United Nations. Costa Rica's President Miguel Rodriguez also accompanied President Chen on a tour of a Taiwanese export processing zone, an orchid farm run by Taiwan Sugar Corporation, and a vocational training school.
President Chen departed on the 20th for Africa, where the ROC has eight diplomatic partners. Chen Shui-bian is the first ROC president ever to travel to western Africa. There is little two-way trade between Taiwan and any of the three countries on Chen's African itinerary. Instead, agricultural and economic assistance constitute the mainstays of our diplomatic ties with these countries. Taiwanese agricultural specialists stationed in Burkina Faso have converted 1,000 hectares of desert to arable land, while Taiwanese specialists sent to Gambia have successfully transplanted tomatoes, green beans, okra, and various leafy vegetables from Taiwan and raised them on Gambian soil. In addition to this type of technical assistance, Taiwan has also assisted with various infrastructure projects. Taiwan's most notable contribution to Gambia's infrastructure is the main terminal at the airport.
Gambian President Yahya Jameh declared his support for admission of the ROC to the United Nations, and as a gesture of goodwill declared that all holders of ROC passports would henceforth automatically be granted 90-day landing visas upon arrival in Gambia.
President Chen's trip yielded many positive results and generated a lot of very favorable media coverage, but it was not problem-free.
First, as the president was preparing to depart Taiwan, the Nicaraguan foreign minister publicly called upon the ROC to make good on the previous administration's promise of US$100 million in assistance. This remark sparked controversy in Taiwan, where some accused the new government of pursuing the same "checkbook diplomacy" practiced by its predecessor.
Chen Shui-bian responded that while the new administration has not made plans for any new promises of foreign aid, neither will it fail to honor the promises made by its predecessor. Foreign Minister Tien Hung-mao stated that the purpose of Chen's trip was to consolidate Taiwan's diplomatic ties, and to strengthen friendships by building upon the existing foundation. Tien stressed that the president would not sign any new foreign aid agreements. President Chen received a very warm welcome in Nicaragua, but the local press still mentioned "checkbook diplomacy" in reporting on the visit.
The ROC's ambassador to Nicaragua, Antonio Tsai, bluntly argued in a briefing with Chen that Taiwan's foreign assistance to Nicaragua was being misused. According to Tsai, the assistance has been used to build a presidential palace and a new headquarters for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Opposition politicians charge that the aid has done nothing for everyday people, and Western nations have also been critical.
A second problem connected with the trip was the question of who would act in the president's stead while he was out of the country. Concern over this issue prompted President Chen to state before his departure that he would remain commander-in-chief of the military forces, and that he would maintain hot lines to every cabinet-level agency. The president said that there was no need for an acting president because he had taken painstaking precautions to ensure domestic political stability during his absence.
So is Taiwan's diplomacy a way of giving back to the international community? Or is it checkbook diplomacy? Taiwan has provided agricultural assistance to its diplomatic partners in Africa for 30 years, and the results have been impressive. Shown here is a settlement in Burkina Faso sponsored by Taiwan. They still use traditional threshing machines here. （photo by Cheng Yuan-ching）
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