Taiwan says China put up $3 bln to lure its ally

Taiwan says China put up $3 bln to lure its ally A Taiwan official says China offered the Dominican Republic a $3.1 billion package of investments and loans to get them to sever ties with Taiwan, a diplomatic blow to the self-ruled island. Ryan Brooks reports. Taiwan says China offered up $3 billion dollars to one of the island's few remaining allies in exchange for cutting ties with Taipei. The Dominican Republic switched to recognizing mainland China on Tuesday (May 1). Now, Taiwan has formal relations with only 19 countries, many of them poor nations in Central America and the Pacific. A Taiwan official told Reuters $3 billion was a price they simply couldn't match. China denies there were any economic preconditions for the Caribbean nation to switch allegiance. However the news sparked swift anger from Taiwan's foreign minister. (SOUNDBITE) (English) TAIWAN FOREIGN MINISTER, JOSEPH WU, SAYING: "President Danilo Medina of the Dominican Republic has ignored our long-term partnership, the wishes of the people of the Dominican Republic, and years of development assistance provided by Taiwan, to accept false promises of investment and aid by China." Taiwan is claimed by China as its own wayward province. Beijing and Taipei have tried to win over each other's allies for years, often with generous aid packages on offer, but Taiwan has struggled to keep up with China's rise. Last year China scored a major diplomatic victory when Panama flipped. The Vatican may be next on the list. The Holy See and China have been getting closer to an agreement over Beijing's control of bishops in China. Beijing has also ramped up military exercises near Taiwan over the past year. That's included massive naval war games and Chinese bombers flying circuits around the island. Website: http://timesofoman.com Facebook:   / timesofoman   Twitter:   / timesofoman