11/15/2013, 00.00
TAIWAN – CHINA – GAMBIA
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After 18 years, Gambia breaks diplomatic relations with Taiwan

The decision was announced in a letter to the embassy and signed by President Jammeh . Role of mainland China unclear. Beijing is pursuing an aggressive policy of economic support in Africa in exchange for diplomatic relations and exploitation of natural resources. Taipei "shocked"

Taipei ( AsiaNews) - In a letter sent to the embassy in Taiwan, the president of the Gambia has announced that after 18 years diplomatic relations between the two countries "are to be immediately interrupted".  Signed by President Yahya Jammeh , the letter claims that the decision "was born of strategic national interests " and hopes that the two nations "can remain friends". It is not clear if the decision is the result of a strengthening of relations between Gambia and mainland China, which in the last decade has undertaken an aggressive campaign of economic support to African countries in exchange for diplomatic relations and exploitation of natural resources . In any case, Taipei has expressed its "shock" at what it terms "a unilateral decision taken by Jammeh " .


The Banjul's defection leaves only Sao Tome and Principe , Burkina Faso and Swaziland as the remaining African countries to recognize Taipei instead of Beijing at a diplomatic level. Since 1971, when mainland China was admitted to the United Nations , the total number of diplomatic allies of the island has fallen to the current 22 , including the Vatican. Since the end of the civil war in 1946 and the flight of nationalists to the island, Beijing has claimed Taiwan as a "renegade province " to be annexed to the motherland , while Taipei terms itself the "legitimate government " of China, even if they make no claim of sovereignty over the territory .


Over the decades, the two countries have challenged each other in what has been called "yuan diplomacy", or economic support to the poorest countries to achieve greater international status. Over the past 18 years, Taiwan has paid tens of millions of dollars to support health, education, agriculture and infrastructure in Gambia . The last project in chronological order - funded by Taipei to the tune of  22 million dollars - was the construction of 42 km of highway to connect the capital Banjul with the western part of the country. In 2010, Jammeh called the island " one of Gambia's best allies" , hoping that it "may soon take its rightful place " on the world stage .

 

 

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