Taiwanese firms are literally flying the national flag in Vietnam to protect their interests against a rising wave of anti-China sentiment
Asia Times
Date: Auguast 7, 2018
By: Ma Nguyen
Taiwanese companies in Vietnam are increasingly being squeezed
A protestor displays a placard during a demonstration in front of the Vietnam Economic and Cultural offices in Taipei on May 16, 2014 after anti-China protesters set factories on fire in Vietnam in the biggest eruption of rage against Beijing for decades. Photo: AFP/Sam Yeh
between a rock and a hard place as China ramps up diplomatic pressure on their displays of national identity.
If they hang Taiwan’s national flag outside their offices and factories, then China kicks up a threatening fuss with Hanoi about its professed sovereignty over the island state Beijing views as a renegade province.
If they keep their flags furled, then their factories may be perceived to be China-owned and potentially targeted by nationalistic protesters who see China’s growing commercial and economic interests in Vietnam as a threat to sovereignty. [FULL STORY]