The Taipei government is keen to show the island is more than a political football between the U.S. and China.
Taiwan's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Jaushieh Joseph Wu, at the US-Taiwan Economic Prosperity Partnership Dialogue, November 21, 2020. Credit: 外交部 Ministry of Foreign Affairs, ROC (Taiwan) via Facebook
Lots of governments pay for foreign journalists to tour their countries in the hopes of increased and more favorable coverage. But probably none depends more on these junkets than Taiwan.
Dwarfed by its immense neighbor and recognized by just 13 countries, Taiwan struggles to deliver its message that it’s more than just a political football in a titanic geopolitical game played by the U.S. and China.
In May, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs invited me and 29 other reporters from two dozen counties for a week-long, expenses paid, political tour of Taipei and environs. The ministry plans a few other tours this year and figures it will wine and dine more than 100 foreign reporters. Adding trips for lawmakers and their staff, academics and others who might sway public opinion, MOFA estimates it will pay for 2,400 foreigners to visit Taiwan during 2023 alone.
The Taiwanese play on the sympathy many foreigners tend to feel for a small democracy competing with huge,
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