ABSTRACT
A crucial aspect of sovereign state identity is official recognition from other states. Over the past half century, Taiwan has witnessed a massive decrease in international recognition. The end of the Cold War and the rise of China played an important role in Taiwan’s losing of official alliances. Taiwan’s status in the international arena has become increasingly limited along with the rise of China as a global superpower. Beijing’s One China policy has now gained international acceptance and is embedded as a norm. Worldwide, Taiwan only has official political relations with 21 countries (although Taipei has over 100 overseas offices, acting as de facto embassies, around the world). In Africa, diplomatic competition has led to an obvious victory for the People’s Republic of China (PRC). For instance, when China and Taiwan variously hosted consultative forums with African states, 48 African countries’ presidents attended the PRC-held 2006 Forum on China–Africa Co-operation (FOCAC), as opposed to 5 African heads of state for the 2007 Taiwan–Africa Summit.
