By Bal(t)imoron, 4 months and 2 days ago

Malawi Hearts Beijing

The African nation of , but at least its foreign minister was honest. " 'We have decided to switch from Taiwan to mainland China after careful consideration of the benefits that we will be getting from mainland China,' " Joyce Banda, minister for foreign affairs, said Monday in the capital, Lilongwe."

Taiwan's hopes of maintaining that relationship were dealt a blow when Taipei said it could not match a Chinese offer to provide it with $6 billion in aid. Malawi is one of Africa's poorest countries.

Banda, the foreign minister, said she did not know how much money China would ultimately donate to Malawi. She said projects financed by Taiwan, including a highway that extends to the border with Zambia, were discussed with China and would not be affected by the change in diplomatic relations.

I guess roads are just too lowly a task for Beijing!

Sphere: Related Content