Taiwan Is Facing a New Wave of Diplomatic Tsunami
Want Daily Editorial, August 24, 2023
The Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) passed a motion by Nicaragua to approve mainland China as a permanent observer and revoke that status for the Republic of China (Taiwan). In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced its withdrawal from PARLACEN with a strong protest. Taiwan has worked hard to cultivate its relations with Central American countries for many years and has laid a solid base of diplomatic relations in Central America. However, in recent years, Nicaragua and Honduras have severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan, and now Taiwan has withdrawn from PARLACEN, which not only affects Taiwan’s international standing in Central America but may also set in motion a domino effect affecting the whole of the Latin American and the Oceania region. The government cannot use Communist China’s repression as an excuse for this setback.
Tsai Administration’s Successive Diplomatic Setbacks
The Central American Integration System (SICA) is a supranational organization for regional unity among the Central American countries, including PARLACEN, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration, and the Central American Common Market. Taiwan has close relations with these two organizations. Indeed, the SICA headquarters building in San Salvador, the capital of El Salvador, was funded by the R.O.C. government, which is currently an observer of the organization.
Since SICA makes decisions by consensus, revocation of Taiwan’s observer status may be prevented for the time being with the support of Guatemala, Taiwan’s only friend and diplomatic ally in the organization. However, the newly elected pro-China president Arevalo of Guatemala, has made it uncertain whether Taiwan will be able to keep diplomatic ties with Guatemala. The Central American Bank for Economic Integration (BCIE) is an international development bank in the Central American region, and Taiwan is an extra-regional member as well as the largest shareholder, so Taiwan’s interests should not be affected. However, with the loss of multiple diplomatic ties, Taiwan may have lost the incentive to maintain BCIE membership and foster friendship through economic aid to the region.
Withdrawal from PARLACEN will not only deprive Taiwan of influence in the organization and the region but may also shake the few remaining diplomatic relations Taiwan has in Latin America, which requires special vigilance on the part of the government. If Beijing goes all out in diplomatic competition, the battlefield will not be confined to Latin America, and Taiwan’s diplomatic ties and membership in international organizations in other regions will also face a new tsunami.
Latin America, in particular, will have an even more significant after-effect, because the maintenance of diplomatic relations with Latin America not only affects Taiwan’s international recognition and advocacy for Taiwan in international organizations but also provides opportunities for its top government officials to engage in transit diplomacy in the United States, which is an invaluable advantage. Although head of state visits and cross-border diplomacy are often conducted for Taiwan’s domestic consumption and propaganda, these diplomatic activities are of great significance as they can enhance the country's reputation and garner support in the overseas Chinese community.
Nicaragua invoked United Nations Resolution 2758 to request Taiwan’s exclusion and the inclusion of mainland China in PARLACEN, demonstrating that Taiwan will face a more stringent diplomatic blockade. UN Resolution 2758 originally only restricted the R.O.C.'s participation in international organizations in the United Nations, but now even regional organizations have followed suit in using this resolution to exclude Taiwan, showing that the CCP is beginning to expand the diplomatic battlefield to include strict adherence to the "One China” principle.
Unforgivable Diplomatic Errors
This is Beijing's concrete response to the passage of the Taiwan International Solidarity Act by the U.S. House of Representatives. The bill asserts that UN Resolution 2758 does not address the issue of Taiwan's representation in the UN or other related organizations. The House of Representatives also requires U.S. government representatives in international organizations to resist, through the expression of views, votes, and influence, Chinese resolutions, statements, policies, or procedures that seek to distort Taiwan's status. Nicaragua's proposal in PARLACEN immediately brought to light the limitations of this unilateral, U.S. domestic legislation. The legal battle between China and the United States over Taiwan will not end here. Withdrawal from PARLACEN is just a prelude, and the potential fallout should not be taken lightly.
Withdrawal from the Central American Parliament on Taiwan’s own initiative, in the name of upholding national dignity, is in fact an act of self-defeat. While Taiwan’s current diplomatic situation sees rivalry between the United States and China for global hegemony and the restructuring of the international order, the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) administration’s erroneous diplomatic approach and international strategy cannot be forgiven. The DPP insists on being "anti-China and pro-America," rejects the 1992 Consensus, and gives up the flexibility for a pragmatic diplomatic approach. During the administration of President Ma Ying-jeou from 2008 to 2016, only one diplomatic tie was lost over eight years, and the Ma government was also able to attend the World Health Assembly and the International Civil Aviation Conference, as well as obtain visa-free access to the United States. After the DPP came to power, nothing has been achieved in diplomacy. The number of diplomatic allies has been dropping, and Taiwan has been denied access to international organizations. On the other hand, the DPP has sheepishly followed the lead of the United States by remaining passive, misplacing its resources, and failing to fully serve its national interest.
The DPP is constantly relying on the United States, but the competition between the United States and China is still uncertain, and now the United States is having trouble even in its own backyard. The DPP's effort to create diplomatic exchanges with Eastern European countries has caused dissatisfaction in allied countries and failed to get reciprocal responses, so the losses outweigh the gains. Despite these series of diplomatic mistakes and failures, Joseph Wu has remained unshakable in his role as Minister of Foreign Affairs. Unless there is a change of political parties, there is no chance for a diplomatic turnaround.
From: https://www.chinatimes.com/opinion/20230823005305-262102?chdtv