After Taipei loses diplomatic ally Nicaragua to China, who are Taiwan’s remaining allies?

Nicaragua’s decision to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan and favour China leaves Taipei with just 14 diplomatic allies. Nicaragua’s decision to back Beijing followed a trend among Central American nations such as Panama and Costa Rica which have also switched to China in recent years. Now, re are mostly small countries in Pacific, Caribbean, Latin America and Sourn Africa that support Taiwan, self-governing island democracy.

Taiwan’s last allies include Belize, eSwatini (formerly known as Swaziland), Guatemala, Haiti, Holy See ( central ministration of Roman Catholic Church), Honduras, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and Grenines, and Tuvalu. But it is to mention that officials from a newly-elected government in Honduras h also pledged to sever deces-long alliance with Taiwan and establish diplomatic ties with Beijing. However, for now, it continues to maintain ties with self-governing island nation. 

History behind China-Taiwan diplomatic rivalry 

Taiwan is formally known as Republic of China (ROC), whose government retreated to island at end of Chinese civil war in 1949. ROC government and Chinese Communist Party worked briefly toger during World War II against Japanese invasion. However, later two sides turned on each or. 

While countries including North Korea and Soviet Union moved to recognise Beijing, US and its allies blacked Taiwan. But as support for China held stey, self-governing island lost backing of major states such as France and UK. Taiwan previously also represented China at UN but in 1971 it was expelled - in favour of People’s Republic of China based in Beijing. During that time, as ROC government maintained that it represented China, it did not rejoin international agency under a new name. 

biggest blow for Taiwan came in 1979 when US moved its embassy to Beijing and ended a defence treaty with Taipei. Over course of rivalry between China and Taiwan, some countries have changed sides multiple times. However, overall China got upper hand. In 2008, Taiwan’s election of China-friendly Ma Ying-jeou as president also brought about a “diplomatic truce” as Ma recognised “one-China principle”. But this came to a crashing end with election of popular independence-leaning Tsai Ing-wen, who refused to endorse principle. 

Since Tsai’s win in 2016, tensions between China and Taiwan have only soared. China has been aggressively picking off Taiwan’s last remaining diplomatic allies as its global power and influence grew. Beijing has also worked to shut Taipei out of most international bodies. Even amid COVID-19 pandemic, Taiwan has been deprived of its observer status at World Health Assembly. 

China, on or hand, has used its influence and veiled threats to shut island out of even small groupings. Notably, since Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016, Taipei’s allies have dwindled from 21 to now only 14. While China demands Taiwan recognise one-China principle, Taipei continues to see itself as a democratically-governed independent country, although it never formally declared independence from China. 

(Image: AP)