By Michael Field
AUCKLAND, New Zealand (AFP, July 5) - A small Pacific nation, Kiribati, which switched its diplomatic ties from China to Taiwan last year, now fears Beijing might try to influence a change of government, Kiribati President Anote Tong said Monday.
When Tong became president last November, Kiribati switched to Taiwan, forcing China to close and dismantle a satellite-monitoring base on the main atoll of Tarawa; but the embassy remained, with three diplomats as caretakers.
Tong said when he made the switch an unprecedented protest march was staged and he said he believed China had been behind it.
"We are watching out at the political environment here because they did participate in the last process," Tong told AFP in a telephone interview. "They continue to hope there will be a reversal of the situation, a change of government, I guess."
He later added: "We have to keep an eye out on what their real role is, what the role they are...