Taipei contemplates friendless future as Beijing woos remaining allies

How many diplomatic allies can Taiwan afford to lose before it is no longer relevant on the world stage?

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen says Beijing is stepping up efforts to isolate the island in bid to disrupt elections in January

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Beijing’s efforts to alienate Taiwan have left the self-ruled island with just 15 diplomatic allies. Photo: EPA-EFE

Published: 8:00am, 29 Sep 2019Updated: 11:00pm, 29 Sep 2019

Taiwan is wondering how many diplomatic allies it can afford to lose as Beijing’s persistent poaching brings the self-ruled island’s number of official friends to 15.

Taipei has watched seven of its allies switch recognition to Beijing since Tsai Ing-wen of the independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party became president in 2016 and refused to accept the one-China principle.

A report by Taiwan’s National Security Council released on Wednesday said the mainland was expected to try to poach one or two more allies before the end of the year in an effort to influence the island’s presidential election in January, at which Tsai will be seeking a second term.

President Tsai Ing-wen will be seeking a second term in office when Taiwan goes to the polls in January. Photo: EPA-EFE

Beijing’s growing military threats and acts of suppression against the island were evidence that it “will resort to any means to interfere in the 2020 elections and to further pressure Taiwan internationally”, the report said.

The loss this month of two of Taiwan’s six friends in the Pacific – the Solomon Islands and Kiribati – and the growing prospect of losing all of its remaining allies, has prompted a discussion among Taiwanese media and politicians about whether the island could survive if the number of countries officially recognising it fell to zero.