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Taiwan's Chen Shui-bian to Embark On First Overseas Trip
Taiwan leader Chen Shui-bian departs Sunday for his first overseas trip since taking office, which aims to "buy Taiwan more diplomatic recognition'' in the world, according to Chinadaily.
From August 13 to 25, Chen is expected to go to the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua, Costa Rica in Central America and Gambia, Burkina Faso and Chad in Africa. He will also make a stopover in Los Angeles.
Local media in Taiwan called a "diplomatic gaffe" by Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Eduardo Montealegra, who has vowed to remind Chen that the island's last administration under Lee Teng-hui had promised his nation aid of US$100 million.
Taiwan media were indignant. "It is, for Taiwan's foreign relations, a reduction not to absurdity, but to utter indignity," the English-language Taipei Times said in an editorial.
A cartoon in the Chinese-language United Daily News showed a diplomatic ally shaking hands with a bag of money on a carpeted tarmac after walking past Chen who had just stepped off his plane and offered to shake hands, but with no one to greet him.
Nicaragua's bluntness shows once more Taiwan authorities were following the heels of previous administration of buying diplomatic allies, said local media.
Wealthy but diplomatically isolated Taiwan is recognised by only 29 nations, mostly impoverished countries in Central America, Africa and the Pacific.
The Taipei Times editorial said it was "time to stop paying for friendship."
"Things will not be worse in any practical sense -- the ability to trade, ability to travel, ability to enforce legal agreements -- than they are now, whether Taiwan has 30 allies or three," the newspaper said.
Chen hopes his first overseas trip since taking office almost three months ago will help boost his popularity, which tumbled 10 to 20 percentage points last month after four workers died in a bungled river rescue that sparked island-wide outrage.
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