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In Taiwan’s survival game plan, rum and chips are part of the toolkit
To win friends and deter a Chinese attack, Taiwan has put into play a multi-pronged strategy. Success, though, carries the risk of escalating cross-strait tensions.
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Taiwan is recognised by just 14 states, and the number could shrink in 2023.
PHOTO: REUTERS
TAIPEI – A high-ranking parliamentary delegation from Germany was in Taiwan for a four-day “solidarity” visit earlier in January. A day before the German lawmakers’ arrival, Chinese warplanes and ships carried out military drills around the island.
Beijing views Taiwan as a breakaway province to be reunified with the mainland. It has responded strongly to any perceived attempt to undermine that goal. A dramatic example came in 2022, in the form of massive war games amounting to an air and sea blockade of Taiwan following a visit by then US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi. Beijing has also asserted diplomatic, economic and commercial pressure to isolate Taiwan internationally.
