By Joel Atkinson
Taiwan needs to decide on a plan for its remaining diplomatic allies before it is too late.
The 22 generally small, impoverished countries that extend official diplomatic recognition to Taiwan in return for aid are back in the spotlight. The president of one of these so-called “diplomatic allies,” Manuel Pinto da Costa of Sao Tome and Principe, caused a stir in Taiwan with his recent visit to China. There was speculation that China had decided to cancel the tacit agreement to not poach Taiwan’s diplomatic allies that it had made with the current Taiwan government headed by Ma Ying-jeou. But the China-leaning Ma and his party, the KMT, remain much more important partners for Beijing than a tiny island state of the African coast, and China has no intention of encouraging Sao Tome and Principe to immediately break-off relations with Taiwan. Beijing has even sought to reduce the domestic political problem the visit presents for Ma, making a public statement downplaying it as private “trade and business activity.”
Still, as both Beijing and Taipei are well aware, the visit is a blow for Ma. It is clear that China’s substantive relations with Taiwan’s diplomatic allies are growing, with Pinto da Costa’s visit just the latest example. On the other hand, Taiwan has made little headway in improving relations with potential diplomatic allies in China’s camp, and its relations with at least some of its own allies appear to be getting worse. So, even as the “diplomatic truce” with China holds, Taiwan’s official diplomatic relationships are steadily being hollowed out. The issue with Sao Tome and Principe is an embarrassment for the Ma administration because it very publicly highlights this situation, and the inability or unwillingness of the government to do much about it.
Read the full story at The Diplomat