By Daniel Nardini
As Americans begin the vote in the U.S. mid-term elections, there is a fight happening between the United States and China for the whole of the Americas. Both countries are vying with each other for investments, where to make military alliances and even where to put military bases. Just as the United States has been sort of preserving alliances n East Asia, so then the U.S. government has been trying to prevent China from making inroads into Central and South America. But in two cases, China has hit a diplomatic and economic wall. The two cases are Belize in Central America and Paraguay is South America. But the wall is not what many Americans think. The real issue has been these two countries having diplomatic relations with Taiwan—China’s Asian rival.
Why is this happening? I should explain that these two countries have had diplomatic relations with Taiwan when it was the Republic of China on mainland China itself and in the early years on Taiwan itself. Although Belize and Taiwan have had diplomatic relations since 1989, their relations go back even further when Belize was known as British Honduras when Belize was a British colony before it became independent in 1981. Paraguay has had diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1957. These two countries believe that Taiwan is the safer alternative to China because these two governments have seen the economic and political damage China has done in the rest of Central and South America. For the Belize and Paraguayan governments and people, Taiwan is a better, more reliable and safer alternative to China. Hence, these two countries have turned their backs on China’s attempts to bring them under its influence.
So the Chinese government is trying another tactic—economic sanctions. The Chinese government will not allow products from Belize or Paraguay into the China market. This strategy will not work. Almost none of Belize and Paraguay’s products go to China currently. And if anything, these sanctions are back-firing on China because these two countries now have even less reason to trust the Chinese government or Chinese corporations which could exploit and ruin these two countries. So for now, this is a setback for China. Relations between Belize and Paraguay on the one hand and Taiwan on the other remain strong.-
China’s Sanctions on Belize and Paraguay
By Daniel Nardini
Why is this happening? I should explain that these two countries have had diplomatic relations with Taiwan when it was the Republic of China on mainland China itself and in the early years on Taiwan itself. Although Belize and Taiwan have had diplomatic relations since 1989, their relations go back even further when Belize was known as British Honduras when Belize was a British colony before it became independent in 1981. Paraguay has had diplomatic relations with Taiwan since 1957. These two countries believe that Taiwan is the safer alternative to China because these two governments have seen the economic and political damage China has done in the rest of Central and South America. For the Belize and Paraguayan governments and people, Taiwan is a better, more reliable and safer alternative to China. Hence, these two countries have turned their backs on China’s attempts to bring them under its influence.
So the Chinese government is trying another tactic—economic sanctions. The Chinese government will not allow products from Belize or Paraguay into the China market. This strategy will not work. Almost none of Belize and Paraguay’s products go to China currently. And if anything, these sanctions are back-firing on China because these two countries now have even less reason to trust the Chinese government or Chinese corporations which could exploit and ruin these two countries. So for now, this is a setback for China. Relations between Belize and Paraguay on the one hand and Taiwan on the other remain strong.-