Taipei, Oct 13: Premier Yu Shyi-Kun said today he had rejected Foreign Minister Eugene Chien's offer to quit over Taiwan's loss of diplomatic ally Liberia to rival China.
"I asked him not to blame himself for the setback and
asked him to stay on the job," Yu told reporters.
Chien told parliament earlier today that he had
offered to resign for failing to retain ties to Liberia and
had offered to resign.
Liberia re-established official links with China over
the weekend and Taiwan responded by severing ties with the
West African nation and protesting Beijing's "dollar
diplomacy" efforts to lure away its friends.
Taiwan and China have been engaged in a diplomatic
tug-of-war since their split in 1949 at the end of a civil
war.
The latest setback reduced to 26 the number of
countries recognising Taiwan, which Beijing considers part of
Chinese territory to be "reunified" with, by force if
necessary.
Bureau Report
