Island accuses the mainland of stoking confrontation and lashes out at ‘chequebook diplomacy’
An indignant Taiwan said on Tuesday it would rethink its relations with the mainland in the wake of Panama’s decision to cut diplomatic ties with the island in favour of Beijing. The Central American country became the second of Taiwan’s dwindling number of allies to switch recognition to Beijing in six months, following the west African nation of Sao Tome and Principe last December. “The move by the Beijing authorities is not only wrong but also affects the current situation, turning the peaceful development of cross-strait relations into confrontation. For this, the government will reappraise the situation of the ties across the Taiwan Strait, ” said Joseph Wu, secretary general of the presidential office. The decision by Panama ends 107 years of formal relations between it and the Republic of China, the official name Taiwan uses for itself.
