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Taiwan's 'parliamentary diplomacy' is ideal option under China's watchful eye
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Amid pressure from China, Taiwan is facing "unprecedented difficulties" in its bid to engage in diplomatic affairs.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Katherine Wei
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TAIPEI - After a two-year hiatus due to the Covid-19 pandemic, several Taiwanese lawmakers went on so-called "parliamentary diplomacy" trips last month to the United States and Europe.
Such networking trips occurred quite regularly before the pandemic and legislators seemed eager to resume the tradition. They met with their counterparts in the US, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to keep Taiwan's soft power diplomacy going.
Such networking trips occurred quite regularly before the pandemic and legislators seemed eager to resume the tradition. They met with their counterparts in the US, Poland, Slovakia and Hungary to keep Taiwan's soft power diplomacy going.
Soft power, coined by American political scientist Joseph Nye in the late 1980s, refers to "the ability to attract and persuade" that stems from "culture, political ideals and policies". It is unlike hard power or "the ability to coerce", which is related to military or economic might.
