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Arias divorces Taiwan to take up with Red Chinese

by José Pablo Ramírez Vindas --- A.M. Costa Rica

Top Costa Rican officials scurried on June 6 to keep up with the news. In a hastily called 5 p.m. news conference, President Óscar Arias Sánchez confirmed that Costa Rica was breaking diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of relations with the Communist People's Republic.

Taiwanese officials had predicted the break that morning, and the Associated Press carried the story quoting Taiwan's foreign ministry spokesman David Wang.

Arias was accompanied at the press conference by Bruno Stagno, minister of Relaciones Exteriores y Culto, and both vice presidents. It was Stagno who took a trip to Beijing the previous week and made overtures to Chinese officials.

The reaction from Taiwan was what was expected. The Embassy of the Republic of China said that Costa Rica had caved in to threats from Beijing in abruptly breaking the 63-year-old ties between the two countries. A written release said that Taiwan gives its most energetic protest on behalf of the government and people of its country.

The release said that in defense of the dignity and national interest, Taiwan would stop immediately diplomatic relations with Costa Rica and stop all the projects and assistance plans that were in the works. The release said the embassy would be closed and the country would bring home technical teams helping Costa Rica. One group of technicians was helping with the design of a proposed new convention center.

Taiwan said that it shares the ideals of liberty, democracy, peace and human rights with Costa Rica and noted that the People's Republic systematically violates these ideals. Taiwan will continue to seek interchanges with the Costa Rican people, it said.

Arias said that Costa Rica would continue to maintain unofficial relations with Taiwan. A Casa Presidencial release after the press conference said the decision was an act of realism. Stagno was perhaps more candid when he suggested that the country might seek a free trade agreement with Communist China.

The Arias administration appears to be maintaining its options in the face of possible rejection of the free trade treaty with the United States.

The most visible gift from Taiwan is the $27 million Puente de Amistad over the Río Tempisque connecting the mainland with the Nicoya Peninsula. Taiwan also promised to give $15 million to help reconstruct the burned out section of Hospital Calderón Guardia.

 In October, Taiwan gave $2 million for outboard motors for the Servicio Nacional de Guardacostas. The same month Taiwan said it was donating $1.4 million to improve the living conditions for the 600 families in Rincon Grande de Pavas.

In December Taiwan chipped in with $2 million for uniforms, bulletproof vests, bikes and motorcycles for the new tourism police.

In late February Taiwan announced a $1 million donation to assist in building up the digital infrastructure in rural Costa Rica. In late February Taiwan donated $2 million so the Fuerza Pública could purchase 73 new patrol cars and 100 motorcycles. In March the country's government donated 24 motorcycles and four quadracycles to be used by the new tourism police. Taiwan also was constructing the new San Carlos highway.

The generosity of Taiwan also became an embarrassment when the newspaper La Nación disclosed that employees of the foreign ministry were getting monthly subsidies from the Asociación para el Desarrollo del Servicio Exterior de Costa Rica, which was supported by Taiwan. Stagno eliminated those subsidies that had endured through the Abel Pacheco administration.

Pacheco himself was under investigation for possible illegal presidential campaign donations from Taiwan. Environmentalists complained that the money from Taiwan was spent, in part, to make sure Costa Rica continued to allow the practice of taking fins off sharks caught in local waters and bringing them to a private dock in Puntarenas.

That relations were cooling became obvious May 14 when Costa Rica voted against a proposal to hold discussions on Taiwan's membership in a UN health organization.

The country's foreign minister hurried to a meeting with Central America states in Belize, but Stagno sent a representative.

Arias noted that 168 countries that are UN members subscribe to the one China policy. Less than 25 countries now recognize Taiwan, and officials there believed that the Costa Rican decision might be mirrored by actions by Panamá and Nicaragua. It is Communist China that enforced the one China policy.

The United States recognized Communist China in 1979 but still maintains a close relationship with Taiwan.

The Partido Libertario was quick to criticize the action of the Arias administration. Luis Antonio Barrantes, the party's legislative leader, said it was a sad day for democracy.  Otto Guevara, party president, deplored the decision. 

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