Focus Taiwan
2017/03/31 23:08:39
By: Chiu Po-sheng and Elizabeth Hsu

Taipei, March 31 (CNA) Taiwan’s efforts to recover money owed by African states that resulted in court victories recently have nothing to do with the country’s diplomacy and whether or not the debtors are diplomatic allies, Taiwan’s Ministry of Finance (MOF) said Friday.

Deputy Finance Minister Su Jan-jong (蘇建榮) made the declaration in response to reporters’ questions about a Reuters report Friday suggesting that the claims were a possible warning to Taiwan’s allies thinking of switching their allegiance to China.

Citing court documents, Reuters reported that Taiwan’s Export-Import Bank (Eximbank) had made claims to recover unpaid loans totaling US$261.4 million from the Central African Republic, the Democratic Republic of the Congo and Guinea-Bissau.

Taiwan has successfully sued the Central African Republic and the Democratic Republic of the Congo in a United States district court to recover US$212 million, Reuters said, while the case against Guinea-Bissau is still pending.   [FULL  STORY]