As Taiwan’s Diplomatic Allies Dwindle, Students Are Caught in a Geopolitical Tug of War

The News Lens
Date: 2018/09/11
By: J. Zach Hollo

Jeankarlos Almonte (L) poses for a picture with a friend at his university’s graduation ceremony in Taiwan. Credit: via Zach Hollo

Taiwan rewards diplomatic allies with scholarships for students to study at Taiwanese universities. When those countries switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing, Taiwan cuts the funds, leaving students to scramble.

At the end of his fourth academic year at a prestigious university in Taiwan, Jeankarlos Almonte had only one credit to complete in order to graduate. The undergraduate senior from the Dominican Republic had been the recipient of one of many scholarships given by the Taiwanese government to citizens of its diplomatic allies.

But on May 1, Almonte awoke to the news that his country had cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, handing formal recognition of China to Beijing. He was soon notified that he would no longer receive scholarship funding. Almonte felt like his future was in free fall.

“My first impression was fear. I was afraid of what would happen now. What would I do?” Almonte says. His situation became even more complicated because his passport would expire in about two months, and the Dominican Republic suddenly had no embassy at which to renew it. “I was going to stay in Taiwan to try to find a job, but as soon as they cut relations, all the doors were closed to us.”    [FULL  STORY]

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