Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning

A Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson on Monday criticized the Taiwan regional authorities over reported increases in aid and cash gifts to Palau, condemning the Lai Ching-te authorities for using "dollar diplomacy" to serve "Taiwan independence" separatism and their personal political agenda.

For certain countries like Palau, having Taiwan as a "diplomatic ally" is not about delivering for the country and the people, but to line the pockets of the very few people who profit from it, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said on Monday. 

Mao made the remarks when asked about a recent report by the Solomon Star, which indicated that the Taiwan region increased its annual aid to Palau from $18 million last year to $25 million this year, apparently in an effort to secure political backing at the Pacific Islands Forum.

The Taiwan regional authorities also allocated nearly $281,000 in direct cash gifts for Palau's former president, incumbent political figures, and individual lawmakers. The report commented that Taiwan's taxpayers' hard-earned money is not being spent on people's livelihoods. 

Mao said the report is yet another example of the Lai Ching-te authorities' expensive dollar diplomacy using the hard-earned money of the people in Taiwan - a combination of corruption, fraudulence, bribery and power-for-money deals - to serve "Taiwan independence" separatism and their personal political agenda.

Global Times