Two Taiwan allies face pressure to switch allegiance: U.S. official

Focus Taiwan
Date: 2019/09/27
By: Randall Schriver

Washington, Sept. 26 (CNA) The Marshall Islands and Palau, two allies of Taiwan, face great pressure from China to change their allegiance, a U.S. official said Thursday.

"There's tremendous pressure on the remaining diplomatic allies of Taiwan to switch diplomatic recognition," Randall Schriver, U.S. assistant secretary of defense for Asian and Pacific security affairs, said during a U.S. House of Representatives hearing on sustaining U.S. Pacific insular relationships.

"We are particularly concerned by China's use of coercive tools to attempt to erode their sovereignty and induce them to behave in accordance with Chinese interests," Schriver said in his statement, referring mainly to the Marshall Islands and Palau.

Being asked to comment on how China influences the two countries, Schriver said China's measures include a range of economic coercion, debt trap diplomacy and diplomatic and political pressure.
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