How can Tsai Ing-wen possibly rope her 18 remaining diplomatic allies into a ‘democratic coalition’ to oppose China when they themselves are hardly functioning democracies?
The News Lens
Date: 2018/08/20
By: Antonio Chun
Photo Credit: Reuters / TPG
On Jan. 27, 2018, Honduras, one of Taiwan’s 18 remaining diplomatic allies, swore in President Juan Orlando Hernandez for a second term as international observers slammed the election’s validity and called for a new vote.
The inauguration ceremony was kept low-key to discourage protestors and only ambassadors were invited, depriving Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) a chance to make her presence felt on the international stage. She has missed few opportunities since then, hosting the leaders of allied Haiti and eSwatini earlier this year and visiting Belize and Paraguay last week, sandwiched by two high-profile stopovers in the United States.
Tsai’s diplomatic strategy is reaping rewards for partner states like Paraguay, but observers are worried about its long-term viability. At a May 15 U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee hearing, Republican Senator Marco Rubio openly worried that Paraguay could be next to jump ship and switch its recognition from the Republic of China (ROC, Taiwan) to the People’s Republic of China (PRC, China) – concerns quickly dismissed by Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MoFA). However, the principles behind Tsai’s strategy remained unaddressed.
Photo Credit: Presidential Palace @Flickr CC BY 2.0Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen on one of her overseas visits to diplomatic allies.
[FULL STORY]
