tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005756131065514338.post8564292067524830996..comments2024-03-27T15:49:28.147+00:00Comments on Commonwealth Stamps Opinion: 1469. 🇵🇰 Pakistan Post Commemorates National Satellites.White Knighthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17968199477827266643noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005756131065514338.post-74242841930274369712019-07-13T11:00:17.582+00:002019-07-13T11:00:17.582+00:00Thank you Chris. Yes I spotted it and will feature...Thank you Chris. Yes I spotted it and will feature it in the next Blog. <br />These ‘diplomatic relations’ issues are quite interesting - certain countries seem to have identified such products to be a means of furthering their international image and emphasising their links with ‘client’ countries. The stamps are launched at a high profile event which itself gives good publicity to the country which is donating the stamps and the politicians and officials of the recipient countries also come out of it as being shown in a positive light.<br />China is the past master of such issues and Taiwan continues its diplomatic war with the mainland state by producing such issues for the small number of poor territories with which it still has relations. There have also been a few such issues from Japan and it’s interesting to see Thailand getting in on the act.<br /> Of course we also saw Australia donate Timor Leste’s first stamp issue a couple of decades ago and though this was not exactly the same thing it does seem to me to be rather similar.<br /> I’m surprised that Western (in the broadest sense) governments haven’t followed China’s lead in producing more of these Diplomatic ties issues (or perhaps they could call them ‘Cultural ties’) to donate to impoverished postal administrations which can not afford to produce ‘special’ postage stamps for themselves. The wealthy ‘Western’ countries of The Commonwealth have a host of small poor states such positive publicity-gaining actions could be aimed at. That’s the problem with removing postal services from government control - private companies are much more interested in making money from products which feature subjects which are not even nationally relevant than they are in promoting national image which for decades was an important role of postage stamps. <br />Perhaps governments should start taking a little more interest again in the sort of stamps their countries’ main postal services are issuing or allowing to be issued in their names.<br /><br /><br />White Knighthttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17968199477827266643noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2005756131065514338.post-80808064905964498342019-07-13T06:27:54.469+00:002019-07-13T06:27:54.469+00:00Stamperija is selling the Maldives-Thailand Joint ...Stamperija is selling the Maldives-Thailand Joint Issue sheet, although it seems sold out.<br /><br />An image can be found at https://stamperija.eu/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/940x500/17f82f742ffe127f42dca9de82fb58b1/M/L/MLDLC190101a.jpgChris de Haerhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01103852699388056651noreply@blogger.com