Taipei, Jan. 26 (CNA) Improved cross-Taiwan Strait relations have helped Taiwan maintain consistency in its international assistance programs, despite China's continued interference in United Nations-affiliated organizations, an official said Wednesday.
"The diplomatic truce that President Ma Ying-jeou advocated has made a difference. We don't have to worry about losing diplomatic allies now, so we are able to focus on long-term development of our international assistance programs, " said Lee Pai-po, Deputy Secretary-General of Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF).
Established in 1996, the ICDF is the principal administrator of Taiwan's development projects abroad, providing assistance to partner countries to develop human resources and achieve socio-economic growth.
The organization has sent medical, agricultural and technical missions to more than 30 countries, including Taiwan's 23 official diplomatic allies, and provides assistance in lending and investment, technical cooperation, humanitarian assistance, and international education and training.
Taiwan has said that the effort is its way of paying back the international community for its humanitarian aid and cash relief to Taiwan from the end of the World War II to 1975.
Because of Taiwan and China's diplomatic war in the past, Taiwan's overseas missions had to worry about the stability of the country's foreign relations all the time, Lee said on the sidelines of a ceremony to launch the book "Endless Love. " The publication documents the ICDF's development programs in various countries.
"Once Taiwan severs diplomatic ties with a country, we have to completely pull out of that country, " Lee said.
The current administration's focus on transparency also makes the ICDF's job easier, according to Lee. In the past, cash donations, particularly to developing countries, caused a lot of trouble such as corruption, he said.
Under Taiwan's new policy, a "program-oriented" approach has been adopted in international assistance, and direct investments in infrastructure are no longer made, he said.
The previous policy was open to corruption and management problems but the new approach has helped the ICDF to better manage its annual budget of NT$3 billion, he said.
However, Lee said, Taiwan is still facing difficulties with multilateral aid, especially with those programs that involve U.N.-affiliated organizations, due to the sensitive political issue of the "one China principle" that China insists on.
He said there has been more room for Taiwan to maneuver in international and regional organizations in which both Taiwan and China have membership, such as the World Trade Organization (WTO) , European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (ERBD) , Asian Development Bank (APB) and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC). (By Chris Wang) Enditem /pc