Gambia says its previous ties with Taiwan was a “huge mistake”. The west African nation now wants to strengthen its ties with China which it considers a better partner for development.
Gambian President Adama Barrow made the remarks during a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping on Thursday.
The Gambia under former leader Yahya Jammeh had major ties with Taiwan which was self-ruled nation. Taiwan is seeking separation from China, a province China is still fighting to take control over.
In 2016 when Gambia ended its ties with Taiwan, China resumed ties with Gambia. China says Taiwan is a wayward province with no right to diplomatic relations.
China officials said Gambia regrets previous ties with Taiwan. “The facts prove that Gambia previously maintaining so-called diplomatic relations with Taiwan was a huge mistake,” China’s foreign ministry cited Barrow as saying.
Barrow is reported as saying that “China has helped us improve communications, roads and transport conditions, things that in all the years gone past we wanted to do but were unable”.
Barrow said he “believed that with China’s cooperation, Gambia will achieve speeded-up development”, the ministry said.
China has been able to put pressure on many nations across the world to isolate Taiwan by cutting off ties with it.
In Africa, the kingdom of eSwatini, formerly known as Swaziland, is the only ally of Taiwan.
Source: Africafeeds.com
