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ohOutside an unmarked building on Taipei’s riverbank, 14 flags usually fly, one for each of Taiwan’s allies. But last week, Honduras Now, only 13 diplomatic missions remain.
The lowering came after Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced on Twitter that she would fulfill a promise she made during her campaign. Severing diplomatic relations with Taiwan after 82 years And ally with China.
Honduras is facing financial difficulties, the country’s foreign minister said. Taiwan Taiwan did not respond to requests to renegotiate the $600 million debt or increase financial aid. Taiwan accused Honduras of demanding more than $2 billion and urged Honduras not to “fight fire with fire” and to stand with China.
Nine countries have switched allegiance China Since Tsai Ing-wen took office as president in 2016, Beijing has stepped up its efforts to isolate Taiwan diplomatically. Taiwan now has only 13 formal diplomatic allies left. The burden on their shoulders is heavy, as is the cost of not siding with China, which does not allow its allies to recognize Taiwan.
Taiwan’s remaining allies are Belize, GuatemalaIn the Americas, there are: Haiti, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In the Pacific, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau and Tuvalu still recognize its sovereignty. Swaziland is its only African ally, and the Vatican is its only European ally.
Allies are mostly small or developing countries that are usually talked about but not discussed until they decide to change their stance. The ones that receive the most attention are Taiwan’s “like-minded partners”—powerful countries like the United States that do not acknowledge its existence but support it. In exclusive interviews, the Guardian met with four ambassadors to Taipei. Others declined to be interviewed, did not respond to interview requests or could not be met by deadline. The Honduran Embassy in China cancelled a scheduled interview after the announcement.
“Respect for sovereignty”
Each of these countries has its own history, reasons, and motivations for deciding to align with Taiwan. The reasons vary, ranging from economic interests to deep-seated principles of national integrity and small-nation solidarity.
“We have tied our sovereignty to Taiwan. We say we stand with you,” Saint Vincent and the Grenadines “This is about principle, this is about respect for the sovereignty of a country that determines its own path,” said Ambassador Andrea Claire Bowman.
The Caribbean nation, with a population of about 104,000, opened its embassy in Taipei in 2019, the same year it became, along with China, the smallest country ever to sit on the UN Security Council. Last August, the country’s Prime Minister, Ralph Gonsalves, visited Taiwan during China’s live-fire military exercises in retaliation against the United States. Visit from House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
“When all this is happening, you would think this small country shouldn’t be messing with other people,” Bowman said.
Tuvalu’s ambassador, Bikenibau Paeniu, said his country’s decision to side with Taiwan in 1979 was largely ideological and religious: the Christian country was wary of communism. Paeniu, who served three times as prime minister, said his service in Taiwan showed the importance of the relationship.
But Paeniu also spoke candidly about the financial aspects of today’s diplomatic alliances. He noted that the Taiwanese government Provide generous funding – It is not a loan that must be repaid like in China.
Paenyu believes nothing can make Tuvalu turn its back on its “true friends.” “I think the parliament supports Taiwan 100%,” he said. But when asked whether reducing or canceling Taiwan’s aid to Tuvalu would change people’s views, Paenyu replied: “It might.”
Providing aid to “friendly countries”
Saint Lucia has established diplomatic relations with Taiwan twice, most recently in 2007, when Taiwan increased its aid to Saint Lucia.
Its ambassador, Dr Robert Kennedy Lewis, said his government would say “its foreign policy is not about chasing the highest price”, but he added that Taiwan was now its largest grant aid donor.
In 2020, Taiwan provided $502 million in aid to “diplomatic allies and friendly countries,” up from $302 million in 2018, and regularly provides funding for specific development projects to allies in Latin America and Africa. All of Taiwan’s allies have the opportunity to provide comprehensive higher education scholarships to hundreds of students each year. Many students have access to medical assistance and in-country treatment from nearby Pacific allies.
All the ambassadors who spoke to the Guardian noted that educational scholarships – particularly in science, technology, engineering and medicine – have brought long-term benefits to their home countries. These students are often the first to suffer when countries cut ties. At the end of this semester, 170 Honduran students studying in Taiwan will lose their scholarships and will likely have to return home with unfinished degrees.
Pressure from China
While Taiwan offers much to help maintain the alliance, it is clear that China has much more to offer in terms of trade, tourism and economic opportunities.
When the Dominican Republic changed its position in 2018, it cited “historical and socio-economic realities.” In 2007, Costa Rica’s then-President Oscar Arias also said the country changed its position for economic reasons. The BBC reported that then-Taiwanese Foreign Minister Huang Jianjun said the amount offered by China was “very high.” Reported.
The Solomon Islands’ decision to cut ties with Taiwan in 2019 sparked controversy at home, but Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said it was “extremely irresponsible to isolate a global player that is willing to help developing and least developed countries.”
China’s cajoling has not always worked. Bowman confirmed that St. Vincent and the Grenadines had indeed been “approached” by Beijing, but he would not go into detail and said the answer was always no.
In 2019, China’s offer to help Tuvalu build an artificial island was rejected by the Pacific island nation’s foreign minister, who expressed concerns about a debt trap and Chinese military bases, as well as relations with Taiwan.
When Chinese officials stormed the Washington, D.C., office of Palau’s only embassy at the time, Palau Ambassador David Adams Orrukum learned that Palau had chosen to recognize Taipei over Beijing.
“They wanted me to wake up the secretary of state,” Olukumu recalled of that day in 1999. He convinced them to let the minister sleep, but it was the first time Olukumu showed the magnitude of the pressure China was exerting on his small island nation.
In 2017, China effectively banned its citizens from traveling to Palau and banned group tours. Tourism accounts for more than 40 percent of Palau’s GDP.
“We do feel it,” Olukum said. “But I want to see Palau as a resilient country.”
He said the chances of a switch were “small,” but noted that Taiwan’s medical assistance, including medical evacuations of critically ill patients, was “crucial” and that the “money versus safety” debate would always be there.
For decades, there have been allegations or examples of opaque and even illegal financial inducements in both China and Taiwan, including Millions of dollars Bribery and secret funding of heads of state Other politicians.
Dr. Kuo Ming-song, a legal scholar at the University of Warwick in the UK, said: “In terms of secrecy (strategies), there may not be much difference between the two governments. I don’t think the Taiwanese government does not adopt this approach at all.”
Another loss is imminent
There is debate in Taiwan about the transactional nature of the alliance, but allies say it gives international legitimacy to Taiwan’s statehood and gives Taipei a voice on the world stage.
Such voices may fade next month when Taiwan loses another friendly country. Paraguay’s opposition party says it will switch to Beijing if it wins the April 30 presidential election, citing trade opportunities. Another loss would give Taiwan’s opposition Kuomintang (KMT) strong ammunition in its campaign in January’s election. The KMT supports friendlier ties with China and says the loss could slow if it comes to power. Skeptical analysts say the situation is far more hostile now than when the KMT last ruled.
But for now, most of Taiwan’s staunch allies remain firm.
Bowman said it was a question of “integrity”. “(Taiwan) is still fighting for its national legitimacy. It needs countries to speak up for it in the international space.”
Lewis said he “wants St. Lucia to be friends with the 1.4 billion people of China,” but Beijing is leaving it up to countries to choose. He questioned why a small country like St. Lucia should defend Taiwan, but said the need to defend democracy remains.
“Maybe history will prove them right and show that their position was the right one. Democracy is at stake.”
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