ST GEORGE‘S, Grenada: The Peoples Republic of China and Taiwan are reportedly in a tug of war over diplomatic relations with the tiny island of Grenada. For the past several years Taiwan has had diplomatic relations with Grenada, pumping millions of dollars into the national economy. However, several politicians in Grenada have recently criticized Taiwan, who they claim was giving money to the Mitchell government too freely. It has been claimed that Taiwan was responsible for paying the salary of Jamaican legal adviser Hugh Wildman, who has lost a barrage of cases on behalf of the state. A ruling handed down by the British Privy Council severely criticized Wildman, who has nevertheless continued on the state payroll. There have also been claims of money placed into accounts for community projects that were not properly accounted for. Many who initially supported Taiwan have become disenchanted because of the way it dealt with the Mitchell administration, which was seen as more in support of Mitchell than the people of Grenada. But with the passage of Hurricane Ivan, the Mitchell government seems to want to take a bite at both Chinese cherries. The government has begun talks with Chinese officials in Trinidad with a view of getting aid from both sides. Such a move did not go unchallenged by the Taiwanese officials in Grenada, who have voiced their displeasure to various senior members of the Mitchell administration. Prime Minister Mitchell, unable to deny that his government was holding talks with representatives from China, chose to say to reporters that he preferred not to talk about the issue for the moment. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com