The government has issued a statement denouncing Male’ City Council’s decision to become sister cities with Kaosiung City in Taiwan, and pledging the Maldives’ support for the “one-China policy”.
“The Government of Maldives reaffirms its commitment and support to China’s national unity and to the one-China Policy,” said the Foreign Ministry in a statement, shortly after the opposition Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP) dominated Male City Council signed the sister city agreement with a Taiwanese delegation on Sunday.
“The Maldives’ firm conviction of one-China policy is guided by the principles of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the internal affairs of states and considers Taiwan as an integral part of the People’s Republic of China,” the government stated.
An official from Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs told the Taipei Times this was “the first time a local government’s efforts to establish sister-city ties with a foreign city had been thwarted due to apparent pressure from China.”
Mayor of Male City Council Ali Manik visited Kaohsiung in November 2012 after the city was assigned to mentor Male’ in sustainability by the international organisation of which both are members, Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI).
A statement from the Greater Kaohsiung government revealed the delegation had shared Taiwanese experience in the management of drainage pipeline networks, waste disposal, offshore submerged breakwaters, plant diseases, pest control and solar power development.
“The delegation also conducted a field study of Male’s construction of a rainwater sewer system, erosion-prone sea embankment and how it deals with waste disposal and processes raw kitchen waste,” reported the Taipei Times.
Mayor Manik said sister city agreements were “normal” and something almost every city in the world participated in, to promote cultural development. The Male-Kaosiung agreement, Manik said, involved “training in fields such as agriculture, mariculture, education in waste management and health related fields.”
Changing demographics
Chinese visitors now constitute 25 percent of all tourism arrivals to the Maldives, a figure that has in the past several years eclipsed the Maldives’ traditional European markets.
Resorts have had to quickly adapt to the new demographic, with resort managers noting the market heavily favours excursions and shopping over food and beverage offerings traditionally targeted towards the European audience.
Some properties have underestimated the market. In March calls for a tourism boycott of the Maldives exploded across Chinese social media networks, after allegations of discrimination against guests from China at one resort were widely circulated.
Dismissed Chinese employees of the Beach House Iruveli resort – formerly Waldorf Astoria – posted allegations on the Chinese forum Tianya that guests from the country were receiving inferior treatment to Europeans, despite paying the same prices.
The staff alleged that this discrimination extended to removing kettles from the rooms of Chinese guests, to prevent them making instant noodles in their rooms and thereby forcing them into the resort’s restaurants.
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There are about 18 countries in the world that recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country, most of them small states in the Caribbean or the Pacific and no countries from Asia. Taiwan is not a member of the United Nations, and even the United States which gives them the most aid, does not recognize Taiwan.
Internationally Taiwan is still considered a part of the People's Republic of China (One China Policy) which would include Macau and Hong Kong as well.
Better not get involved in Cross-Strait politics. I don't think anyone would want to annoy China these days.
Sad to see that the Maldives is yet another country who supports the position of the People's Republic of China that has no basis in law or fact. Following World War II, Taiwan was never transferred to China, either the ROC or the PRC. Check article 2 of the San Francisco Peace Treaty. It would be nice to see the Maldives and other countries support the legitimate, legal rights of the Taiwanese people against the dictatorship in Beijing.
The Taiwanese Government claims to be the legitimate Government of China.
As we are all aware, the Taiwanase System of Governance was the system established in China by Sun Yat Sen (also known by other names depending on which Chinses dialect you are translating) and his Gou Min Dang, (or the KMT, or known by other names AGAIN depending on which dialect of Chinses the many English translations of this word have used.) The GMD had the support of the West because of their modernist outlook, their trade with the West, and Sun Yat Sen had converted to Christianity whilst a student in Hawaii.
Chairman Mao and his collossal peasent army threw the GMD out of power on return from his epic "LONG MARCH..." and the GMD regrouped in Taiwan, a nation which had Indigenous habitants allready.
But you see, the GMD was not necessarily what it seemed to be, if you think of it as the liberals of China. The part that the West will NOT tell you is that, in their struggle with the Communists, the GMD relied heavily on the sale of opium to buy arms.
Opium had long been banned from china, it had been the cause of a savage war between China and England (the opium wars) which came about when the Chinese tried to prevent the British from importing opium into China. Opium had done immeasurable damage to China. So, is it any wonder the Chinese in mainland China are cycnical and sometimes even hateful about Western claims to support Chinese human rights.
If you want to understand the dark side of the GMD, think of the Golden triangle - the regions in South East Asia which produce, sell heroine (which is an opiod.) Do you know who the Golden triangle drug warlords are? They are merchants and army officials from the GMD, who, after having been thrown out of China by the Communists, took there trade elsewhere.
Is it any wonder the Chinese are often cycnical of Western support of the Taiwanese Government as being "legitimate" or the system of human rights for the Chinese people?
What about the human rights of those whose lives were, and still are damaged by opium? Or what about the Indigenous people of Taiwan, and their rights?
Of course I am not a supporter of the Communists either, they were brutal, but, there are two sides to every story, and the West normally only sees one side.
In "a local newspaper" the government says to obey to China, that they do as all countries do, that you cannot have a diplomatic releationship with both Taiwan and China, because China will not acacept.
Another blunt lie. Check on internet the list of foreign representatives, embasqsies, consulates in Taiwan - from like USA, UK, Australia, Germany, France, Brunei like, ... Long list of same countries on same list for China.
Liars !
Furthermore, the Taiwanese Government also claims to uphold a one China principle. Taiwan claims that the One China should be the Republic of China (the KMT's nationalist concept of China) as opposed to the concept of One China held by the Communist Party, known as the People's Republic of China.
So, if these Government officials had any diplomatic brains, they would state that they believe in ONE China, without saying One China "POLICY..." The one China policy is derived from the one China principle, the principle goes back to Sun Yat Sen and his nationalist movement. But when you say POLICY, you are referring to the Communist Party's specific application of that ideal. To appear to please both Taiwan and the PRC, the officials should speak of support of One China, and that's all.
Also, the Communist Party claims to uphold Sun Yat Sen's socialist principles MORE than the KMT themselves uphold them. The KMT which was cast out to Taiwan was a far cry from the nationalist party it once was under Sun Yat Sen. The Communist movement is seen by many as a far left wing split from the KMT, as under General KaiShek, the KMT became very corrupt. The point is, the Communist Party and the KMT have a common heritage, they both see Sun Yat Sen as a Father Figure. Diplomats dealing with China and Taiwan NEED to learn about Sun Yat Sen's beautiful ideals, and try and use those ideals to bring harmony between China and Taiwan. The ideals which are held in common by both PR China and Republic of China (Taiwan), are a beautiful fusion of people power philosophy with Confucian cultural principles. It is different understandings of how to apply these principles which is separating China, and with modern China opening up, the differences are becoming more and more ego driven rather than actual policy driven.
One more thing. It is hypocritical to uphold the sovereignty of the Chinese Government of Taiwan when the sovereignty of the Taiwanese Aboriginal people has been oppressed by Chiese invaders and colonialists for many centuries, and continues to be oppressed.
You forfeit your own right to sovereignty when you deny the rights of others to sovereignty. Why do you think I don't jump up and down with Paul Keating, Wayne Swann and Malcolm Turnbull (Australian Republican Politicians past and present) about getting rid of the Queen? It is because our own Aboriginal people are not even recognized and acknowledged by the Constitution of Australia.
But Maldivians can't preach to me about that, as they allways do. Because, I can promise you, I know a hell of a lot more about the Indigenous culture of Australia than what most Maldivians know about the original culture of the Indigenous people's of the Maldives.
The indigenous people's of Maldives were the Giraavaru people. Giraavaru people were kicked off their island because in Islam for the Friday Community prayer, 40 males have to be there, and there were less than 40 Giraavaru males on the island. At least, THAT was the religious justification.
@Ben Plewright Brother, you are shouting to deaf ears.
China owns your ar*e, you can't even take a crap without their permission now. Such is the fallout from taking money from the yellow peril, you lose your independence and right to self governance. Enjoy sleeping with the dragon, when she wakes she'll eat you.
Maldivian's using foreign names to comment make me laugh.. hehe
Taiwan is good example where we can associate ourselves with. I ardently support for the local government of the Maldives to associate itself with the Taiwanese government and consider it as sister city of Male'.
The present establishment of Maldives is under China's influence.Chinese interference is not a good sign for the country as it will invite rivals to play here.