TAIWAN

Taiwan May Aid Soviets: Taiwan is considering giving financial aid to the Soviet Union, directly or through international financial bodies, the Economics Ministry said. Economics Minister Vincent Siew said the island, which has foreign exchange reserves of more than $70 billion, among the largest in the world, might offer the aid through the World Bank and the Asian Development Bank. “We could draw capital from our overseas funds to assist the Soviet Union in its various economic development projects,” he said last week. Taiwan might also provide aid directly, a ministry official said. “If we offer the aid through the World Bank, we will become only a participant. But if we give the aid directly, we will be a major contributor,” the official said. Taipei has no formal diplomatic ties with Moscow but has been seeking to strengthen unofficial relations since the late 1980s.