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CARTOON: Taiwan Eats Bitterness; Dominican Republic Gobbles RMB

May 03, 2018 14:03·
The Dominican Republic said it believed its switch to ties with China would be

The Dominican Republic said it believed its switch to ties with China would be"extraordinarily positive for the future of our country, in an official

Flavio Dario Espinal is the legal consultant to the Dominican presidential office.

"As six of Taiwan's 19 diplomatic allies are Pacific Island countries, this region will seemingly become a focus of the diplomatic tug-of-war".

Unfortunately, the Dominican Republic won't be the last to ditch Taipei.

Such concerns were raised after US media Foreign Policy reported last week that China's Civil Aviation Administration had sent letters to United Airlines and American Airlines, asking them to follow China's restrictions against "separatism".

But Beijing considers Taiwan to be a province of China that will eventually be fully reunified.

Losing foreign allies to Beijing one after another is certainly devastating for President Tsai and her administration, and may also upset some Taiwanese people as well.

"We could say we made it", said Senator Charles Mariotti, who is president of the senate's Industries, Commerce and Free Trade Zones Commission.

Besides, Taiwan's actual trade volume with most of its existing foreign allies is virtually insignificant compared to the U.S. and European markets.

Since the election of the Democratic Progressive Party's (DPP) Tsai Ing-wen to the presidency of Taiwan in 2016, China has set aside the so-called diplomatic truce that prevailed during the presidency of Ma Ying-jeou and the Kuomintang from 2008 onward.

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It is because as far as the Taiwanese voters are concerned, losing one or two small and remote foreign allies which majority have barely even heard of is certainly not a decisive factor that would substantially influence their voting decisions.

Without the Dominican Republic, there are only 19 remaining countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, notably Guatemala, Burkino Faso, and Haiti.

Responding to questions from the council regarding how consular services would be provided, including passport issuance and arranging study in Taiwan for members of the overseas community, Tang said he would make an announcement after Taipei issues instructions.

Rodrigo Cuel/ShutterstockPanama and Taiwan ended diplomatic relations in June 2017 after the nation established ties with China.

For example, under the "Taiwan Relations Act", Washington has established the American Institute in Taiwan in Taipei, which for years has been serving as the de facto USA embassy on the island.

The news on the Dominican Republic switch, announced in both Beijing and Santo Domingo, drew strong and swift condemnation from Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu.

In the long-term, this leaves morality as Taiwan's sole reliable counterweight to Chinese pressure, and the Vatican is by far the most important domino yet to fall to Beijing's lure.

"Taiwan is a partner that helps us in different areas and we can say that it is a good partner that supports the government", he added.

If anything, while Beijing's aggressive bid to isolate Taiwan is unlikely to inflict much actual harm on the island, it may actually backfire and further alienate the Taiwanese public.

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