Taiwan's next leader urges truce in cash diplomacy battle

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

TAIPEI (AFP) — Taiwan's president-elect Ma Ying-jeou called Tuesday for a "ceasefire" in its money-guzzling diplomatic battle with China amid a scandal over the alleged embezzlement of 30 million US dollars.

In his first public comments on a furore that has rocked the island in the last weeks of the outgoing administration, Ma told AFP in an interview that "chequebook diplomacy" was hurting both Taipei and Beijing.

"I think a ceasefire of some sort should be an objective of the two sides (because) this kind of competition will lead to nowhere, and will hurt both sides financially," he said.

"As the old saying goes, 'in love and war nothing is unfair,' but I think this is something that (we) really have to have second thoughts, whether that will be in our...