Lu was responding to foreign wire reports that Taiwan's diplomatic ally - Grenada - has signed a joint comunique with Beijing to resume diplomatic ties with China.

While meeting with Victor Manuel Sanchez Pena, the new Dominican Republic ambassador to the Republic of China, Lu said that Beijing authorities always try to tempt political leaders of Taiwan's diplomatic allies with large sums of money to forge diplomatic ties with China.

Lu said that the diplomatic policy of the new government led by President Chen Shui-bian (???) is different from that of the former government, adding that Chen's administration attaches great importance to the principles of equality and national dignity while the former government paid much attention to the number of the nation's diplomatic allies and always made great concessions for the purpose of maintaining bilateral relations.

Stressing that Chen's administration cherishes the traditional friendship that is maintained with all its diplomatic allies, Lu called on the leaders of these Taiwan allies not to play Beijing against Taipei in a bid to make a profit out of the competition between Taiwan and China.

Touching on Taiwan's relations with Central and South American states, Lu said that the government has worked out a set of projects aimed at promoting bilateral cooperation and substantive exchanges with Taiwan's diplomatic allies in that region.

The vice president also disclosed that she is working actively to push for a "new town-building program," under which Taiwan will help its Latin American diplomatic allies carry out various development projects in the fields of agriculture, fishery, energy and infrastructure.

In addition, the government has launched the Taiwan Scholarship Program for students from the nation's diplomatic allies to study in Taiwan, Lu went on.

During the meeting, Lu also said that Taiwan is willing to cooperate with the Dominican Republic in carrying out a farm development plan in that Caribbean state.

For his part, Sanchez said that Lu is welcome to make an official visit to his country to discuss details of the cooperation plan with relevant authorities.

Source: Taiwan News