The flags of the Republic of China (ROC) and the People's Republic of China (PRC) have been flying together in Vanuatu for 26 days now. Vanuatu's maintenance of a diplomatic relationship with both Taipei and Beijing is unprecedented in international diplomacy. Whether this model of dual recognition can be maintained depends on the state of cross-strait tensions.
Vanuatu's Prime Minister Serge Vohor told Taiwan's officials at an informal meeting that he looks forward to maintaining dual recognition of both China and Taiwan. It will be worth noting whether Beijing will tacitly accept the situation or actively oppose it. The key to establishing the "Vanuatu model" was Vohor's declaration that Vanuatu respects the "one China policy," while it also has the right to pursue "one Taiwan policy." He said that Vanuatu is a sovereign and independent country which has the freedom to decide which countries it recognizes. Further, the Vanuatu government and its people have a consensus: recognizing both China and Taiwan and receiving economic aid from both parties best serves its welfare and economic development.
In international business, acknowledging both sides of the Taiwan Strait is the international norm. Most countries have relations with Taiwan. They establish their embassies in Beijing and their economic and trade offices in Taipei. Why isn't this international business model adapted for international politics? The situation resembles that of Israel and Palestine. Many countries don't recognize Palestine, but other countries recognize both Israel and Palestine and use their influence to help maintain the peace. The same goes for pre-unified East and West Germany, and North and South Korea. These are models of co-existence between split countries, with both sides hostile to each other.
When the ROC withdrew from the UN, the US hoped both the ROC and PRC would be members. This hope was dashed by former president Chiang Kai-shek (
Taiwan established diplomatic relations with Vanuatu. Since Nov. 3 flags of both the PRC and the ROC have been flying there. This creates new prospects for Taiwan's diplomatic expansion. It remains to be seen if China, too, is looking at the situation in a different way. Vanuatu's dual recognition is a testing ground to see if Taipei and Beijing can put aside a zero-sum war of attrition, arrive at new ways of thinking, and achieve a win-win situation. A successful "Vanuatu model" would contribute enormously toward reducing cross-strait tensions and ensuring peace and stability in the Asia-Pacific region.
Concerns that the US might abandon Taiwan are often overstated. While US President Donald Trump’s handling of Ukraine raised unease in Taiwan, it is crucial to recognize that Taiwan is not Ukraine. Under Trump, the US views Ukraine largely as a European problem, whereas the Indo-Pacific region remains its primary geopolitical focus. Taipei holds immense strategic value for Washington and is unlikely to be treated as a bargaining chip in US-China relations. Trump’s vision of “making America great again” would be directly undermined by any move to abandon Taiwan. Despite the rhetoric of “America First,” the Trump administration understands the necessity of
US President Donald Trump’s challenge to domestic American economic-political priorities, and abroad to the global balance of power, are not a threat to the security of Taiwan. Trump’s success can go far to contain the real threat — the Chinese Communist Party’s (CCP) surge to hegemony — while offering expanded defensive opportunities for Taiwan. In a stunning affirmation of the CCP policy of “forceful reunification,” an obscene euphemism for the invasion of Taiwan and the destruction of its democracy, on March 13, 2024, the People’s Liberation Army’s (PLA) used Chinese social media platforms to show the first-time linkage of three new
If you had a vision of the future where China did not dominate the global car industry, you can kiss those dreams goodbye. That is because US President Donald Trump’s promised 25 percent tariff on auto imports takes an ax to the only bits of the emerging electric vehicle (EV) supply chain that are not already dominated by Beijing. The biggest losers when the levies take effect this week would be Japan and South Korea. They account for one-third of the cars imported into the US, and as much as two-thirds of those imported from outside North America. (Mexico and Canada, while
I have heard people equate the government’s stance on resisting forced unification with China or the conditional reinstatement of the military court system with the rise of the Nazis before World War II. The comparison is absurd. There is no meaningful parallel between the government and Nazi Germany, nor does such a mindset exist within the general public in Taiwan. It is important to remember that the German public bore some responsibility for the horrors of the Holocaust. Post-World War II Germany’s transitional justice efforts were rooted in a national reckoning and introspection. Many Jews were sent to concentration camps not
RSS