A Taiwanese diplomat said that the biggest diplomatic challenge Taiwan faces is China's efforts to use "one country, two systems" as a means to promote unification.
Director of the Taipei Economic and Cultural Office (TECO) in Vancouver Liu Li-hsin spoke virtually to Taiwan studies students at the University of Alberta earlier this month about Taiwan's current political situation and its diplomatic challenges, reported Taiwan News.
Liu explained that because many countries adhere to a "one China" policy and due to political suppression by Beijing, "we have to work double or triple times harder than other countries' diplomats," according to a TECO press release.
In addition to going through official channels, Taiwanese diplomats cooperate with NGOs and overseas Taiwanese communities to send messages to a host country's government, she said, reported Taiwan News.
Moreover, she added that by poaching Taiwan's diplomatic ties, China has weakened the confidence Taiwanese have in their government.
Liu said like-minded countries can support Taiwan by publicly backing its participation in global organizations and strengthening bilateral cooperation on trade and clean energy, reported Taiwan News.
She noted that Taiwan and Canada had recently launched exploratory discussions with Canada about a Foreign Investment Promotion and Protection Arrangement.
The University of Alberta established its Taiwan Studies program in 2020 with the cooperation of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Beijing claims full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of almost 24 million people located off the southeastern coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two sides have been governed separately for more than seven decades.
Taipei, on the other hand, has countered the Chinese aggression by increasing strategic ties with democracies including the US, which have been repeatedly opposed by Beijing.
Moreover, Taiwan has been extremely concerned about the situation in Hong Kong since Beijing passed the National Security Law in 2020. Hong Kong's vanishing democracy, freedom, and human rights prove that "one country, two systems" is a lie.
( With inputs from ANI )
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