Taipei [Taiwan], September 9 : Allegedly leaked Chinese diplomatic documents indicate that Beijing may have offered financial incentives to countries in an effort to block Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA), according to a report by the Taipei Times.
Taiwan’s National Security Council adviser Alex Huang made the remarks in an interview with the Chinese-language Liberty Times, the sister publication of the Taipei Times. Huang was responding to questions about suspected Chinese diplomatic documents that were recently leaked online.
According to the documents cited in the Taipei Times report, China allegedly offered 1 million yuan (US$149,002) to Micronesia to cover the cost of purchasing a vehicle in exchange for the Pacific island nation supporting Beijing’s position on Taiwan’s participation in the WHA.
The leaked material allegedly includes a diplomatic note from the Chinese embassy in Micronesia, dated March, asking the island nation to sign a letter supporting China’s position on Taiwan at the WHA.
Micronesia reportedly wrote to World Health Organization Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on April 8, requesting that Taiwan-related issues not be discussed. Taiwan’s proposal was subsequently rejected by the WHA in May.
The documents further allege that China sent 1 million yuan in “grant” funding to Micronesia on June 10, ostensibly for the purchase of a vehicle to be used for official receptions. Micronesia reportedly responded on June 23, accepting the funding.
Huang said the allegedly leaked documents closely correspond with intelligence held by Taiwan, particularly in terms of the officials’ titles, the narrative and the timeline of events. He added that the documents could “to some extent be considered highly credible,” as cited by the Taipei Times.
According to Huang, the documents appear to focus on two major areas of Chinese diplomatic activity.
The first involves Beijing’s efforts to persuade Pacific island nations to sign a joint letter to the WHO calling for Taiwan to be excluded from the WHA and for Taiwan-related issues not to be discussed.
Huang described the arrangements as appearing to be “almost something that can be priced,” with the number of countries signing the letter roughly corresponding to the amount of money Beijing would need to spend, according to the Taipei Times report.
The second set of allegedly leaked documents concerns the African Union (AU).
The documents reportedly show that the African Union accepted a 200 million yuan “renovation grant” from China in April and subsequently sought an additional US$50 million to construct a new headquarters and recreation centre.
The Taipei Times report also highlighted a series of complications faced by Taiwan in Africa following Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s visit to the continent earlier this year.
These included the withdrawal of flight clearance for President William Lai’s chartered aircraft in April, Kenya blocking Taiwan’s participation in a United Nations ocean conference in June, Morocco suspending visa issuance in July and Uganda withholding passports last month.
Lai had been scheduled to visit Taiwan’s diplomatic ally Eswatini on April 22, but the trip was cancelled after three African Union member states along the planned flight route withdrew overflight clearance.
On the same day that Taiwan’s Presidential Office announced the cancellation, the African Union reportedly wrote to China requesting another round of funding.
Huang said the timing of the events was striking and demonstrated what he described as a pattern in Beijing’s operations.
“Some of what we saw came as a shock,” Huang said, according to the Taipei Times report.
Huang also said that China’s efforts to pressure Taiwan have continued, with Beijing constantly adopting new tactics.
He warned that diplomatic relationships built through financial incentives may not withstand the test of time. According to Huang, once recipient countries fall into what he described as Beijing’s trap and their overall national strength becomes influenced by China, Beijing could gain greater control over international resources that can subsequently be used to pressure other countries.
At the same time, Huang argued that China does not possess unlimited resources to maintain an endless campaign of what he characterised as “dollar diplomacy".
He also questioned the implications of Beijing’s approach to the international order, asking how other countries could expect China to honour its commitments if Beijing itself no longer respects the international system.
The allegations contained in the leaked documents have not, in the material provided, been independently verified. However, Huang said their similarities with Taiwan’s existing intelligence led him to regard them as potentially highly credible, the Taipei Times reported.