Taiwan’s Thinly Woven Diplomatic Web

Nauru, a small island country in the southwestern Pacific, announced on Monday that it was realigning its diplomatic ties to China, having previously been an ally of Taiwan. The move followed shortly after Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) won Taiwan’s presidential election on January 13. Lai was formerly vice president to Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan’s first female president, who stepped down from the role after finishing the maximum permitted two terms in office. Both DPP figureheads are considered separatists by Beijing.

Taipei has responded to Nauru’s announcement by cutting diplomatic ties with the island nation. As the following chart shows, the Taiwanese government can only count on the official support of a few small states around the world. Currently, only 12 independent countries recognize the Taipei government, according to Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The majority are located in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Paraguay, Guatemala, Belize, Saint Lucia, St Kitts and Nevis, St Vincent & the Grenadines and Haiti. Taiwan's other three island nation allies are in Southeast Asia, namely Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands. This list is rounded off with the Kingdom of Eswatini, located in Southern Africa, and the Vatican City State, in Europe.

Saturday’s election has been dubbed the island territory’s “most closely watched” vote since its first in 1996, following rising tensions with China, including the bolstering of Beijing’s military presence in the Taiwan Strait and South China Sea. China considers Taiwan as part of its territory and has said that it wants to “reunify”.