Taipei puts Dole on payroll to represent US interests
Taiwan has pulled off a coup in Washington by winning the services of former White House candidate Bob Dole as an adviser.
Taipei, already near the top of the list of international big spenders on lobbying in the American capital, is paying Mr Dole US$30,000 (HK$232,200) a month to represent its interests.
The move is likely to irritate Beijing, which has in recent years been concerned that its voice in Washington is being drowned out by the hugely-expensive Taiwanese lobbying operation.
Mr Dole will work through the Washington law firm of Verner, Liipfert, Bernhard, McPherson and Hand, which he joined after losing the 1996 presidential election to Bill Clinton.
However, his office was eager to stress he would be acting merely as an adviser rather than engaging in lobbying his former colleagues on Capitol Hill.
Although Mr Dole showed support for Taiwan during his tenure as Republican leader in the Senate, he was also a moderate on China issues and routinely supported the renewal of Beijing's trading privileges.
His latest decision may be a result of Beijing's alleged attempts to funnel cash to Democratic election candidates, reportedly an attempt to counter Taiwan's lobbying machine after President Lee Teng-hui was allowed to visit the United States in 1995.
Congress' Ethics Committee said it was looking into just what Mr Dole's role would be.
It was also examining whether it might put in jeopardy an agreement House Speaker Newt Gingrich made last year to borrow money from Mr Dole, an old friend.
Mr Dole offered Mr Gingrich a US$150,000 loan to pay off the Speaker's US$300,000 fine for ethics violations last year, but the deal would be nullified if Mr Dole worked as a lobbyist before 2000.
