As Dominican Republic Chooses Relations With China, Taiwan Says Beijing Is Only Antagonizing the Taiwanese People

Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu arrives during a press conference in Taipei on May 1, 2018. - Taiwan said it was 'deeply upset' after the Dominican Republic, one of its few remaining official allies, established diplomatic relations with China and cut ties with the island. Sam Yeh/AFP

As the Dominican Republic cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and switched its recognition to Beijing, Taiwan vowed to defy this latest encroachment and said that Beijing’s plot to deprive Taiwan of international space would only antagonize the Taiwanese people and fuel their resolve to resist.

The Caribbean state announced late on April 30 that it has established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China and cut ties with Taiwan. Before that, the Dominican Republic was one of only 20 countries in the world that still maintained formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.