Pacific diplomacy changes expected in Taiwan

08/09/2008 12:32:43

A new Taiwanese White Paper on foreign aid is expected to signal a dramatic shift in the way it deals with the Pacific.

Taiwan News Online reports the Taiwanese foreign ministry is expected to release a new White Paper on foreign aid that will see a more mainstream approach to its aid and development program.

Citing unnamed sources in the foreign ministry, the website says the White Paper's aim is to do away with the image of "dollar diplomacy" often associated with Taiwan's aid programs - where generous aid packages are used to entice diplomatic support from small nations.

Taiwan has only 23 diplomatic allies around the world and six of those are in the Pacific Islands.

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