As Beijing squeezes Taiwan, Trump’s US gives Tsai a warm embrace

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s tour of the Americas, with stopovers in Los Angeles and Houston, is evidence that however diplomatically isolated Taipei may appear to be, it “does not stand alone”

South China Morning Post
Date: 18 AUG 2018
By: Cary Huang

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen’s whirlwind diplomatic tour of the Americas is a test of both her leadership and the island’s resilience in the face of stifling pressure from Beijing. Taiwan has suffered increasing diplomatic isolation under Tsai’s stewardship, now halfway through a four-year term. The island republic has lost four diplomatic allies since Tsai came into office two years ago – leaving just 18 countries with which it has official ties, most of them clustered in Latin America, the South Pacific and the Caribbean.

Cross-strait relations have deteriorated since Tsai’s independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party won power. Beijing has frozen all contact and ramped up its campaign to assert its sovereignty.

It is trying to exclude Taiwan from as many international forums as it can and has ordered foreign companies to refer to Taiwan as being part of China.    [FULL  STORY]