Taiwan Defends Plane Donation to Panama
TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – The Presidential
Office and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
defended the planned donation of a plane to
Panama Monday, denying dollar diplomacy was
still alive.
The Chinese-language China Times daily
quoted the Panamanian media Monday as
reporting that Taiwan was donating a US$40
million aid package, including a US$22
million plane, to the country in order to
please its new president, Ricardo Martinelli,
who took office last July.
Past Taiwanese administrations often came
under fire for spending large amounts of
money overseas in efforts to prevent the
country’s rare diplomatic allies from
switching recognition to China.
The plane in question is reportedly a
Brazilian-made Embraer Legacy 600 costs
about US$27.45 million and can carry 16
passengers. According to the Panamanian
newspaper La Prensa quoted in the China
Times, the plane could be used to transport
President Martinelli or members of his
administration but was unsuitable for relief
operations.
President Ma Ying-jeou always opposed waging
checkbook diplomacy spending money on
unclear objectives, but did not rule out
normal aid to allies, presidential spokesman
Wang Yu-chi told reporters Monday.
If the aid was spent according to clear
plans, the president would not oppose it, he
said. Such financial assistance could
improve relations between Taiwan and its
allies, according to Wang.
Foreign Minister Timothy Yang said the
donation of the plane would be accompanied
by public ceremonies and would be listed as
an official event.
Yang responded to questions from opposition
Democratic Progressive Party lawmakers Tsai
Huang-liang and Hsueh Ling that he would
investigate whether corruption had been
involved in the deal, but that he didn’t
believe there had.
The request for the plane came from Panama’s
new government and was motivated by the fact
that its emergency relief helicopters were
old and had to be replaced, Yang said.
Remote parts of Panama needed new aircraft
to provide effective medical aid, he told
lawmakers.
Taiwan’s government approved the request
after a review and was booking the aircraft
as an asset of the Panamanian government.
Both Yang and Taiwanese ambassador to Panama
Simon Ko emphasized that the aid
corresponded to the country’s three basic
principles for foreign aid, namely normal
objectives, legal process and effective
execution.
Ko said Taiwan was prepared to help out with
medical care, education, basic construction,
law and order, and social welfare according
to its capabilities.
Talks about the plane had not been finalized
yet, Ko said, adding that the aircraft could
also be used in the fight against drug
smuggling.
The DPP’s Tsai described the case as an
example of checkbook diplomacy and as a
scandal. Lawmakers questioned an apparent
discrepancy between the US$40 million cost
of the aid package and the widely mentioned
US$28 million price tag for the Brazilian
plane.
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