The News Feed is curated by CGSP’s editors in Asia and Africa.
CGSP Staff
CGSP Staff
CGSP Staff
CGSP Staff
CGSP Staff
Han Zhen
Han Zhen
CGSP Staff
Three years after the Taiwan government said it would no longer compete with China using so-called "checkbook diplomacy," Taipei is now backtracking a bit on that pledge, with millions of dollars budgeted to bolster ties with its few remaining allies in Latin America.
The Foreign Ministry in Taipei's budget next year for the Department of Latin America and Caribbean (LAC) Affairs will be nearly $180 million, including a $33 million increase.
The spending boost is part of Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung's "Allies Prosperity Project" that aims to shore up ties with the island's few remaining diplomatic partners and to counter the constant pressure from Beijing to isolate the island from the international community.
WHY IS THIS IMPORTANT? Taiwan's decision to allocate more financial support to its diplomatic relations in the LAC region will no doubt be welcome news in the seven countries that still maintain ties with the island.
But a $33 million increase is nowhere near enough to compete with the scale of Chinese economic engagement in Latin America, where it's now the largest trade partner for most countries in LAC and a major source of foreign investment.
Eric Olander
Eric Olander
Han Zhen
Han Zhen
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