Debate breaks loose on whether Taiwan needs official allies
Taiwan News
Date: 2016/12/22
By: Taiwan News, Staff Writer
On December 21, 1471, Portuguese sailors arrived at a small island off the west coast of Central Africa
(By Central News Agency)
which they named after the patron saint of the day, Saint Thomas, or in Portuguese, Sao Tome.
Almost precisely 545 years later to the day, there was little to celebrate for Taiwan. The country that included Sao Tome and another nearby island, Principe, broke away from Taipei, deciding to open up relations with the People’s Republic of China instead.
Until December 21, most Taiwanese were probably completely unaware of the tiny country’s existence, as were most other people around the world.
That all changed because the president of Sao Tome and Principe reportedly wanted an extra US$200 million from Taiwan, and the administration of President Tsai Ing-wen refused. [FULL STORY]
