Destiny, or Not? Taiwan and the Dominican Republic

Years ago, I picked up Anita Desai’s Fasting, Feasting and read it, without stopping, in one day. In the novel, both the main character, Uma, and her cousin Anamika are trapped: Uma by her own family, and Anamika by the family she was married into. While Uma – who was never a star pupil –  is forced to leave school and act as a servant to her own family, rarely allowed to leave her house, Anamika wins a prestigious scholarship to Oxford. She is not allowed to go, however: her parents force her to marry a wealthy older man who regularly beats her to the point of miscarriage. It is clear Anamika wanted to go abroad, and that she would settle for leaving her abusive marriage to return to her own parents’ home. Her family permits neither, but they do take out her award letter from Oxford to show guests. While they do this, she is continually beaten, abused and isolated. All she needs to leave is the necessary support: somewhere to go. Not having this, she stays. She has to.

I thought of Anamika when the news that the Dominican Republic, one of the allies of the Republic of China (ROC), had cut ties in favor of the People’s Republic of China (PRC, or simply “China”.) This may seem an abrupt and inappropriately tragic metaphor, but I see truth in it: Western nations are quick to compliment Taiwan’s economic miracle, now many decades in the past but still placing Taiwan as one of the “success stories” of Asia. Their think tanks, NGOs and other organizations frequently rank Taiwan as one of the most successful democracies, one of the best places to live, one of the strongest bastions of free speech.

They take our awards and accolades out of the cupboard when it suits them, and show them off to impress the rest of the world. Look at the Little Asian Tiger That Could.

As they do this, they trap us.

The nations who could provide the strongest support, with whom we have only unofficial ties, are intentionally vague in their commitment, or make no commitment at all. Taiwan’s official allies are mostly availing themselves of checkbook diplomacy: Taiwan is a comparatively wealthy nation, and in exchange for their loyalty to the ROC, Taiwan sends aid, builds their roads and bridges, fund their museums and more. I have crossed these bridges in Nicaragua and been to these museums in Guatemala. These are not nations who will stay with us in the event of war, or if the checks stop coming. Taiwan has allies, and it has unofficial ties, but it does not have the support it needs to assert its de jure independence and its identity as Taiwan, an entity distinct from China.

Many journalists, analysts and commentators are focusing on the Dominican Republic specifically, or the ROC’s diplomatic allies more generally. Some say this is inevitable, a destiny of sorts: China will continue to successfully poach them. This misses the point: not only are these allies merely paid-for friends, they recognize not Taiwan, but the Republic of China. Losing them won’t hurt Taiwan in terms of international trade – the nation’s top trading partners are not formal diplomatic allies. Nor will it hurt Taiwan in terms of military support – most of them would not be able to provide any. If anything, it places Taiwan in an awkward position to seek allies, but ask that they recognize us as the “Republic of China” rather than as Taiwan.

The problem runs deeper than that: Taiwan is being isolated and abused by China, and those who could help – those in the liberal democratic “family” of nations that Taiwan belongs to – allow it to happen. Taiwan is given some official support – after all, US arms sales continue – but not enough to safely ask for fair representation as Taiwan. It cannot fully relinquish its claim to China as the ROC, nor can it end the ROC’s existence in favor of the Republic of Taiwan. It barely has room to assert a distinct cultural and historical identity. Doing so carries the very real risk of a declaration of war by China, and it is not fair to ask Taiwan to take on that risk without a firm commitment of support from the rest of the world as it seeks formal independence from China’s abuse.

China routinely poaches diplomatic allies: this is not merely a warning to the Tsai administration, it has been happening for decades, and it faces no consequences for doing so. It engages in a number of abusive tactics – many, though not all, aimed at Taiwan – and there is no punishment, or any meaningful pushback. Taiwan, meanwhile, is caught in a Catch-22: it is routinely told that it must assert itself, that it will be considered “China” as long as it maintains its claim to “China” and the “Republic of China” as its government. It is told that its constitution clearly states this, and until this changes, it cannot and will not have support. However, were Taiwan to actually make these changes, it would at best be castigated for “causing tensions” and at worst be allowed, without aid, to be annexed in a tragic, destructive and avoidable war. After all, as unfair as it seems, it would be seen by many as the instigator of that war.

Some say that the key is for Taiwan to cultivate unofficial ties instead: an “idiosyncratic” strategy for its idiosyncratic position. This makes some sense: it would certainly benefit Taiwan in terms of trade and soft power, for example. It might lead to some long-term support. However, it is ultimately insufficient. Any support garnered would not be clear and firm enough to truly allow Taiwan to escape its abusive relationship with China. Others say that Taiwan should let its allies go: after all, it makes little sense for a nation looking to forge a future as a de jure sovereign state to hold on to allies that recognize it only as a claimant to all of China. This also makes sense, as Taiwan’s dual personalities as self-governed nation and claimed “part of China” are confusing and do not help solve the underlying issue of Taiwan’s sovereignty as Taiwan. However, this too is insufficient.

Unfortunately, what Taiwan needs is far more difficult to procure: it needs to win firm support in the face of threats and abuse by a totalitarian state. It needs the support necessary to assert itself as a distinct national entity—as “Taiwan.” It needs the rest of the world—especially the wealthy liberal democracies who claim to support their own liberal democracy and human rights as universal values—to stand up for the beliefs they purport to hold. In short, it needs the rest of the world to stop appeasing China, seeking, to put it bluntly, “peace in our time”. It needs to persuade other nations that their statements of values and beliefs mean something. It needs to convince the rest of the world to see that while democratic Taiwan fasts, totalitarian China feasts.

If this does not happen, I don’t know what the future will hold. However, I still think of Anamika’s fate in Fasting, Feasting. Her parents never do allow her to come home, nor do they support her claiming independence in any other way. One day at dawn, she is found burned to death on her husband’s family’s veranda. Some say she committed suicide, others said she was dragged there and burned alive.

Her parents place her ashes in a sacred river, saying that whatever happened to her, it was “destiny.” It wasn’t destiny: all she needed was the support necessary to leave, and she didn’t get it.

(Feature photo of Taiwan’s President Tsai meeting Dominican Republic President Delino Medina)