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Diplomatic isolation, military pressure: Taiwan’s Lai Ching-te faces early test from China
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Taiwan's President-elect Lai Ching-te claimed that he is the most capable of keeping the peace with China among the three candidates.
PHOTO: NYTIMES
BEIJING – Mr Lai Ching-te, President-elect of diplomatically isolated Taiwan, would have been cheered by congratulatory messages from Philippine President Ferdinand Marcos Jr, US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and several other international partners after his Jan 13 election victory.
But the euphoria was short-lived. In a major diplomatic setback for Taiwan, Nauru announced on Jan 15 that it would switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing under the “one China” policy. This means that there are now just 12 nations around the world that formally recognise Taiwan, mainly in Central America and the Caribbean.
