Taiwan President Ma Ying-jeou said Sunday en
route to Africa that he aims to strengthen the nation's relations with allies
on the continent on the visit.
“For me
this is a significant trip,” Ma told members of his delegation and media during
the flight. “Not only is this my first visit to Africa as president since I
took office (in May 2008) but it is also my first personal trip to the region.”
Ma
departed Saturday for Burkina Faso, Gambia and Swaziland on a 12-day trip that
included a refueling stop in Mumbai, India.
The
president made a surprise stopover in Mumbai on his way to Africa in what
officials said was a sign of improving ties with India despite a lack of
diplomatic recognition.
Ma had
kept tight-lipped about the two-hour refueling stop in India until he departed
Taipei late Saturday.
Over
the past 50 years, Ma said, the Republic of China has been providing assistance
to those allies that lack natural resources and has been sharing its valuable
development experience and expertise with its allies.
Among
one of the countless aid programmes, for example, Taiwan funded a project in
Burkina Faso that allows students to study at night by the light of
solar-powered LED lamps, he said.
Under
the project, called “A Lamp Lighting up Africa”, students are given LED kits
that can be charged during the day and used at night as an alternative to the
country's unstable electricity supply.
Ma said
he hopes to learn more about the project, which has been extended from Africa
to Taiwan's allies in Central and South America and the South Pacific.
Ma said
that when he took office four years ago, he made a decision to visit all of
Taiwan's 23 diplomatic allies and hopes to visit those in the Caribbean
sometime in the near future.
Concerning
Ma's unprecedented transit visit to India, spokesman James Chang of the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, said,“This is a sign of the improving ties with
India.”
He
added that Taiwan plans to open a second liaison office in India, in addition
to the one already in New Delhi.
Fang
Tien-sze, a visiting and assistant professor at the Graduate Institute of
Sociology at National Tsing Hua University and a former official of Taiwan's
representative office in India, said Ma's stopover in India is of historical
significance.
He is
the only Taiwan president to have ever set foot in India, Fang said.
New
Delhi values Taipei's technology and economic strength and views Taiwan as a
potential key trading partner, Fang said.
However,
he also cautioned Taiwan to avoid upsetting India by over interpreting the
decision.
Beijing
has opposed any overseas visit by senior government officials from Taiwan.
Both
sides have previously accused each other of using generous financial packages
to ensure the loyalty of governments or persuade them to switch allegiance,
especially in Africa, Latin America and the Pacific.
However,
ties have improved markedly since Ma of the Kuomintang took office in 2008 and
vowed to maintain a “diplomatic truce” with Beijing. Ma was re-elected for a
second and final four-year term in January.
News Desk
The
China Post
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