Guyana’s decision to terminate an agreement with Taiwan for the establishment of a Taiwan office here less than 24hrs after the agreement was announced may have sparked another war of words between Taiwan and the People’s Republic of China and now Taiwan is accusing China of bullying Guyana.
Taiwan which was excited about the agreement signed back in January is now accusing China of bullying Guyana into terminating the agreement.
China sees Taiwan as a breakaway province and maintains that the island is part of its territory.
In a statement issued today, the Taiwanese Foreign Affairs Ministry expressed its grave disappointment over the termination of the agreement.
According to Taiwan, the Government of Guyana is holding on to its new position despite multiple efforts to change its mind.
Taiwan said Guyana’s position to terminate the agreement came after pressure from the Chinese Government.
Taiwan condemned the Chinese government for “resorting again to bullying tactics to suppress Taiwan’s international presence and deny the Taiwanese people the right to participate in international affairs”.
The statement from the Taiwan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the Chinese government’s relentless efforts to isolate Taiwan in the international arena contradict its leader’s recent declaration that the strong should not bully the weak.
Other than a one paragraph press statement which announced the termination of the agreement, the Guyana Government has been silent on the embarrassing issue.
Although the agreement between Guyana and Taiwan was signed since the 11th January and the Taiwan office went into operation four days later, it was the US Government in a tweet that announced the agreement which it welcomed.
The Guyana Minister of Foreign Affairs initially claimed that China was made aware of the agreement. However, the morning after the agreement was announced, the Chinese Government dispatched its Acting Ambassador to meet with the Foreign Minister and express China’s objection and disappointment over the agreement.
News Source understands that the Chinese embassy official dispatched a direct message from the Chinese President and also highlighted the consequences that Guyana would face if it held on to the agreement.
Moments after the meeting concluded, the Guyana Government announced the termination of the agreement.
The Opposition APNU+AFC has bashed the Government for even considering the signing of the agreement since for decades, Guyana has maintained good relations with China and has observed the One-China policy.
The opposition believes that the Guyana goverment’s decision may have caused some harm to the Guyana-China relationship.
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