Taiwan’s diplomatic suffocation

Written by Guignard Nicolas

In 1979, US-president Jimmy Carter officially recognized the People’s Republic of China, eight years after the UN security council permanent seat was transferred from the Republic of China to the PRC. In fact, since the 1956 Sino-soviet split, the USA started shifting their attention from the former to the latter, and Nixon’s Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, a proponent of Realpolitik, engineered the rapprochement between his and Mao’s countries.

For the USA, establishing a formal diplomatic relationship meant not only officially recognizing the PRC as the legitimate China, but also to end diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Indeed, since the end of the Chinese civil war, both the PRC and the ROC describe themselves as the true China and will not allow any country to have an embassy in both parties.

The 70’s marked the beginning of Taiwan’s diplomatic haemorrhage, and today only a mere 15 countries, all of them economically and politically insignificant, recognize Taiwan as China. An additional ten countries in the last ten years shut their embassies in Taiwan, and more are likely to follow. Indeed, the investments of the Belt and Road Initiative that China is offering could be deployed in those countries should they diplomatically align with Beijing. China’s Yuan diplomacy is suffocating Taiwan, and the ROC is suffering dire consequences.

First, this is undermining Tsai Ing-Wen’s leadership, as she lost seven allies since she was elected president. She who adopted a firm stance towards Beijing sees her political and diplomatic ambitions offset by the economic might of China’s diplomacy. The next president may need to build a friendlier relationship with the PRC.

Then, the PRC is slowly isolating Taiwan, excluding them from most major organizations, and buying its allies. Taiwan is losing support, foreign markets, and international prestige. In early 2020, it failed to regain an observer status at the WHO, epitomizing the failure of its ‘mask diplomacy’.

All hope is not lost for the insular nation. It recently received an official visit by Czech parliamentarians, and most western nations lost their naivety vis-à-vis the PRC. Even China’s investment diplomacy is failing in some countries: the most populous province of the Solomon Islands – Malaita – recently announced it would hold a referendum to gain independence. The reason? The 2019 recognition of the PRC and the constant preferential treatment the PRC is given by the Solomon Islands.

Click Below for Further Reading!

Taiwan's Growing Diplomatic Isolation.

How China and Taiwan Became 'Pawns' in Solomon Islands' Internal Dispute.

For even further reading -

World Order by Henry Kissinger - Published by the Penguin Press in 2014

DISCLAIMER: The contents of this website are solely owned by the author of each article and does not represent the views of the Awareness Committee or the Editorial team.