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Sister-city agreement
falls apart in hours
PRESSURE FROM BEIJING? The Maldivian foreign
ministry said the Maldives reaffirmed its support for the ¡¥one China¡¦ policy and
considers Taiwan an integral part of the PRC
By Shih Hsiu-chuan / Staff reporter
Greater Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor
Liu Shih-fang, center, signs a sister-city agreement with Male Mayor Maizan Ali
Maniku, second from right, on Sunday in Male, the Maldives.
Photo courtesy of the Kaohsiung City
A sister-city agreement between Greater
Kaohsiung and the Maldivian capital, Male, was declared invalid by the Maldivian
Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Monday, one day after the pact was signed.
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official in Taipei yesterday said it 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.
The Greater Kaohsiung Government has not yet responded to the Maldivian
statement, posted on the Web site of the Maldivian ministry, which said that the
government of the Maldives ¡§does not recognize the memorandum of understanding.¡¨
The government reaffirms its commitment and support to China¡¦s national unity
and to the ¡§one China¡¨ policy, the statement said.
The Maldives¡¦ firm belief in the ¡§one China¡¨ policy is guided by the principles
of respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity and non-interference in the
internal affairs of states and it considers Taiwan an integral part of the
People¡¦s Republic of China (PRC), the statement said.
China is a very important development partner for the Maldives and the
government of the Maldives will continue to work with the PRC government to
strengthen the close ties of friendship and cooperation that exist between the
two countries, the statement said.
The signing ceremony was held on Sunday, just hours after a delegation of
Greater Kaohsiung Government officials led by Kaohsiung Deputy Mayor Liu
Shih-fang (¼B¥@ªÚ) arrived in Male for the four-day visit. The main purpose of trip
was to sign the agreement.
The delegation is scheduled to return home tomorrow.
A Greater Kaohsiung Government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity
because she was not authorized to speak to reporters, said the idea for the
sister-city link was proposed by Male Mayor Maizan Ali Maniku when he visited
Greater Kaohsiung in November last year.
Ali Maniku and his delegation were interested in learning about Kaohsiung¡¦s
experience in promoting sustainable development, the official said.
Ali Maniku met with Kaohsiung Mayor Chen Chu (³¯µâ) and they decided to become
sister cities to forge a partnership on sustainable development, the official
said. The two sides had discussions that led to the signing of the agreement
covering urban infrastructure, tourism, the environment and the social and
cultural arenas, she said.
Greater Kaohsiung was the first city in the nation to become a formal municipal
member of Local Governments for Sustainability (ICLEI), which was founded in
1990 as the International Council for Local Environmental Initiatives.
The ICLEI designated Greater Kaohsiung as one of its seven mentor cities in May
last year in recognition of its achievements in promoting sustainable
development.
At last year¡¦s ICLEI World Congress, Greater Kaohsiung was assigned to mentor
Male and help it facilitate sustainability.
A press release from the Greater Kaohsiung Government said the delegation had
shared with its hosts the city¡¦s experience in drainage pipeline network
management, waste disposal, offshore submerged breakwaters, plant diseases and
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,
the press release said.
Male would have been Greater Kaohsiung¡¦s 28th sister city and Kaohsiung would
have been Male¡¦s second.
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