China is increasing pressure on Taiwan, which faces diplomatic isolation. Haiti’s foreign minister attended a forum in Beijing on Tuesday, hosted by China for Latin American and Caribbean countries. He was one of only two diplomatic allies of Taiwan present.
Taiwan, a democratically governed island, is viewed by China as its own territory. It maintains formal ties with only 12 nations. Haiti and Saint Lucia, both attendees at the Forum of China and Community of Latin American and Caribbean States (CELAC), are two of these nations.
Reuters reporters observed the flags of Haiti and Saint Lucia in the plenary hall in Beijing. Jean-Victor Harvel Jean-Baptiste, Haiti’s Foreign Minister, and Peter Lansiquot, a diplomat from Saint Lucia, represented their countries.
When asked about the presence of the two countries, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian responded, “China has always welcomed and supported the participation of CELAC member states in the activities within the framework of the forum.” He also stated that the forum is an important platform for “mutually beneficial cooperation” between China and Latin American and Caribbean countries. He did not elaborate further.
The embassies of Haiti and Saint Lucia in Taiwan, as well as Taiwan’s foreign ministry, did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Both Haiti and Saint Lucia are members of CELAC.
Two anonymous diplomatic sources indicated that China has previously interacted with Taiwan’s allies at this event.
The flags of other CELAC members who also maintain ties with Taiwan, such as Guatemala and Belize, were absent.
Taiwan refutes China’s claims of sovereignty. Taiwan asserts it has every right to have diplomatic relations with other countries. They maintain that China has no right to speak for it on the global stage or pressure its international space.
In 2023, Honduras was the most recent regional country to switch diplomatic ties from Taipei to Beijing.
Saint Lucia had previously maintained relations with Beijing. However, it re-established ties with Taiwan in 2007, defying the trend of countries switching to China.
Haiti’s relations with Taiwan date back to 1956.
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