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12/30/2004 
TAIWAN RECALLS ENVOY TO GRENADA  
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AFP): Taiwan’s ambassador to Grenada has been summoned home to Taipei in protest at the Caribbean island state's alleged plan to shift its diplomatic recognition to Beijing. "Ambassador Allan Jiang has returned to Taiwan to give a briefing on our relations with Grenada," Foreign Ministry spokesman Michel Lu told AFP Wednesday. "It's a kind of protest given the current situation," Lu said. Grenada has accused Taiwan that it "has not paid heed" to the impoverished island state, a thinly veiled complaint that Taiwan had not provided sufficient financial aid. Lu rejected the accusation saying Taipei has pledged four million dollars in aid to the hurricane-prone island. Local reports earlier this month said Grenada may follow the lead of fellow Caribbean state, the Commonwealth of Dominica, which in March cut its 21-year-old ties with Taiwan -- allegedly after China offered a hefty aid package. Taiwan has accused China of resorting to "dollar diplomacy" to lure away Grenada by promising aid "several times" more than Taiwan's. It also blamed Grenada for using Beijing as a bargaining chip to demand more money from Taipei. Foreign Minister Chen Tan-sun earlier stressed that Taipei "will not accept blackmailing" following Grenada's Prime Minister Keith Mitchell's trip to Beijing earlier this month. He said Taiwan had "already prepared for the worst" when Mitchell was visiting the mainland and a statement severing ties with Grenada had been drafted. Taipei and Beijing are bitter rivals and have engaged in a diplomatic tug-of-war to woo allies away from each other with generous financial aid. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province awaiting reunification with the rest of the country. Only 26 countries, mainly smaller developing states, recognize Taipei instead of Beijing as the legal government of all of China. Reprinted from Caribbean Net News caribbeannetnews.com
 

 


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TAIWAN RECALLS ENVOY TO GRENADA