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As China's footprint grows, Taiwan wants to keep its few formal allies close while deepening informal links with world.
The first to go was the Solomon Islands, which broke with Taiwan on September 16 ending a 36-year diplomatic relationship.
Four days later, it was Kiribati. The Pacific island nation had established diplomatic relations with Taipei in 2003.
Both countries were wooed by China with offers of development aid and assistance.
"If we give up now, Taiwan's future generations will lose their sovereignty, their freedom, and their democracy; we will lose everything."
In all, seven countries have severed ties with Taiwan since Tsai, of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party (DPP), came to office three years ago. It now has formal diplomatic relations with just 15 nations, including the Vatican.
Some 70 years after China's nationalists fled the mainland to establish their capital in Taipei, the diplomatic tide has now almost completely turned in favour of the communist-led government in Beijing.
Shaohua Hu, professor in government and politics at New York's Wagner College and author of the 2017 book Foreign Policies towards Taiwan, noted that China's efforts to pick off Taiwan's political allies was a political strategy.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Saturday September 28 2019, @03:09AM (8 children)
For those keeping score, that makes it NOT China. After all, if it were China, then it'd have the same government and the same territory as China does.
Which counts, let us note.
A war that finished 70 years ago. There is so much deeply wrong with this narrative.
(Score: 2) by loonycyborg on Saturday September 28 2019, @04:11PM (7 children)
All is correct with this narrative. War is finished only when peace treaty is signed. Since it's civil ware it would involve dissolution of either Taiwan remnant or PRC. Since both exist civil war most definitely continues. Asserting anything else would be disingenuous. Taiwan can really be considered independent state only if they kick out descendants of remains of nationalist government and other people who came with them onto the mainland, where they belong.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday September 29 2019, @03:37AM (6 children)
You do realize how loony that sounds, right? There's no such rule about civil wars.
Truth is an absolute defense against such accusations.
Or because they're an independent state in fact. That works better. Here's a simple test. What does China do in Taiwan? If Taiwan is not an independent state, then China must run something in Taiwan to provide that alleged dependency.
(Score: 2) by loonycyborg on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:20AM (5 children)
There is also no term after which a failed rebellion becomes real independent state. There is no statue of limitations. No major power have declared Taiwan to be independent state, not even the US. If communists and nationalists didn't sign a peace treaty formally deciding who gets what then issue is not settled. Once again there is no statute of limitations on this.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday September 29 2019, @11:39AM (4 children)
(Score: 2) by loonycyborg on Sunday September 29 2019, @01:48PM (3 children)
What exactly you mean as independence? To me it's purely something that is formalized with diplomatic treaties. Taiwan definitely doesn't fit this definition of independence. There are other meanings of this word but there are many of them. In modern world everyone are interdependent to some degree.
(Score: 1) by khallow on Sunday September 29 2019, @10:15PM (2 children)
Sorry, this is pretty obvious. Just look at the government functions of Taiwan and China and what areas those functions apply. Neither government obtains tax revenue, mandates laws and regulation, manages basic government functions like property ownership, etc in the other. That makes them independent.
This diplomatic treaty says [wikipedia.org] otherwise. It's backed by force of law in Taiwan.
And diplomatic treaties are rather irrelevant without teeth. The above treaty doesn't have that problem.
Sure, we could use your contrived definition of independence. It is valid and relatively well-defined as such things go. But what would be the point?
(Score: 2) by loonycyborg on Monday September 30 2019, @01:02AM (1 child)
That's the whole point, Taiwan is entirely without teeth. It's nothing more than a social experiment. Kuomintang failed due to them being assholes. And US preserved them only because they thought they're their assholes. And given relative lack of worldwide acceptance of Taiwan I feel justified in having little respect for them. No more than to average school's mock student council. If they disagree with me then they can feel free to shoot me like their other political opponents..
(Score: 1) by khallow on Monday September 30 2019, @04:07AM
Trying breaking their laws on their turf.