The Substitution of Convential Diplomatic Relations: The Case of Taiwan

Abstract

Taiwan’s external relations are mainly unofficial, as few countries accorded the Republic of China (ROC) official recognition after the People’s Republic of China (PRC) became a full member of the international community during the 1970s. Indeed the Sino-American normalization process resulted in the substitution of the ROC by the PRC at the United Nations (UN) and in diplomatic shifts for Taipei: during the 1980s the ROC was a member of ten intergovernmental organizations, none of which was affiliated to the UN, and was recognized by less than 25 countries. It is still the case today: these small countries that accord the ROC official recognition are mostly located in Africa, Central America, the Caribbean and the Pacific. In November 1996, South Africa announced it would switch full diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing on 1 January 1998.¹ These links are ‘expensive’, for the ROC usually accords its official partners substantial economic and financial aid.