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| Chinese space base nation switches diplomatic ties to Taiwan
MAJURO, Nov 7 (AFP) - A South Pacific nation that played a role in China's first manned space mission Friday suddenly switched its diplomatic recognition to Taiwan. Kiribati, which is on the Equator and in the middle of the Pacific, provides one of three Chinese space-monitoring stations outside of mainland China but has now becomes the 27th nation to recognise Taiwan. China considers Taiwan a renegade province and part of its territory. Serious & personalized business, investment and technology intelligence for a serious advantage - BizVantage! Kiribati, which had diplomatic links with China since the 1980s, joins with the Marshall Islands, Palau, Tuvalu and the Solomon Islands in the Pacific to maintain ties with Taiwan. The nation is seen as a key site for the world's aerospace industry and the Chinese base on the capital atoll of Tarawa was used last month when Chinese astronaut Yang Liwei orbited the Earth. Kiribati's part ethnic-Chinese president Anote Tong was elected to office late last year against a background of alleged Beijing interference in internal affairs and questions over the role of the base. President Teburoro Tito refused to release the government agreement with China over the base to Tong, then in opposition. Founding president Ieremia Tabai, aligned with Tong, said then that the concerns can only be allayed by an independent review. "The Chinese government fear that if there is a change of government more questions will be raised," said Tabai last November. "A new government may request an independent assessment of the whole set up and I guess the Chinese fear this." Tong in November also complained over "over-friendly" association between Chinese Embassy officials in Tarawa and government electoral candidates. Chinese Ambassador Shuxue Ma denied there was anything untoward in his donations to a cooperative society and a cabinet minister. He insisted there was nothing wrong in offering gifts to the local community since the requests for assistance were received "a long time ago". Neither Tong nor officials could be contacted Friday night for comment over the fate of the base. In a statement, the Kiribati Foreign Ministry said that it will "continue to recognize the government of (China)" and expressed hope that relations with the China "will continue to prosper in the future". Tong and Taiwan Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Chou-seng Tou held talks over the past week that led to the agreement, the ministry said. Kiribati said that it would support recognition of Taiwan, which is not a member of the United Nations and other international organizations because of opposition from China. China objects to any meetings between Taiwan officials and nations it has diplomatic relations with. Since the Nationalist government fled to Taiwan in 1949, Beijing has refused to rule out using force for reunification. Kiribati, a Micronesian republic of 96,000 people living on small atolls over 3.5 million square kilometres (one million square miles) of Pacific, is the site of a number of major aerospace projects. In international waters just south of Kiritimati the giant Sea Launch company operating out of California launches commercial satellites using a converted deep-sea oil platform. The "China Space TT and C Station" opened in 1997 and is 1000 kilometres (620 miles) south of the US Army's Kwajalein Atoll strategic missile testing range in the Marshall Islands. gj/mjf/ppy Kiribati-Taiwan
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