China has stepped up diplomatic pressure on Taiwan since its ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won a third consecutive presidential term in elections held on Saturday, withdrawing diplomatic allies from Taiwan and criticizing countries that congratulated the president-elect. Taiwan.
Some analysts say Beijing’s latest pressure campaign on Taiwan is part of a rivalry for influence with the US in the Pacific region and an attempt to frame the DPP as incompetent. The DPP supports maintaining Taiwan’s sovereignty.
“Bejing is working hard to ensure that the Taiwanese people perceive the DPP as incapable of safeguarding Taiwan’s international space,” Marcin Jerzewski, an analyst on EU-Taiwan relations at the Prague-based European Values Center for Security Policy, told VOA in Taipei.
Despite China’s success in withdrawing Nauru, one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, Jerzewski said he doesn’t think such efforts have much impact on the Taiwanese people.
“Taiwanese people don’t care too much about Taipei maintaining relations with Taiwan’s official diplomatic allies,” he said.
Based on Taiwanese Foreign Ministry posts regarding Taipei’s decision to end diplomatic relations with Nauru, some Taiwanese wrote that Taiwan does not need diplomatic allies who only ask for financial help, while others said Taiwan should focus on deepening relations with the right partners. .
In a press conference on Monday, the ministry announced the decision to end ties with Nauru, citing China’s continued efforts to encourage a diplomatic shift in the Pacific island nation through promises of financial aid.
Taipei described Beijing’s efforts as retaliation for the results of the January 13 presidential election and said it was a blatant challenge to the international order. (uh/ab)