Conference "Convoyed Oceania" / Colloque : L'Océanie convoitée (14-15 sept 2015, Paris)

Taiwanese and Chinese health diplomacies in the South Pacific:

What identity and security dimensions?

Vincent Rollet

Abstract :

Out of 22 diplomatic allies Taiwan possesses, 6 are situated in the South Pacific. Such reality makes the region a strategic and geopolitical zone of great importance for the Taiwanese authorities. China which tends to limit the diplomatic space of Taiwan has since more than a decade intensified its relations with numerous countries of the region and has then strengthened its presence in South Pacific with a view to convincing Taiwan’s diplomatic allies to switch their recognition for Beijing. Within the framework of such competition, health diplomacy has represented one of the instruments of Taipei and Beijing towards the South Pacific. However, in 2009, Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou proposed a “diplomatic truce’ with China which has been tacitly accepted by Beijing and pursued until today. This article proposes then to examine the main motivations of China and Taiwan to pursue their health diplomacies in the South Pacific. It argues that identity building plays an important role to explain Taiwanese and Chinese health diplomacies in the South Pacific and notes that while some health issues have been securitized domestically in both countries, security motivations are less pertinent.

 Keywords: health diplomacy, Taiwan, China, identity, security, Official development aid (ODA)

Conference website:

http://www.reseau-asie.com/media3/10/colloque-l-oceanie-convoitee/colloque-l-oceanie-convoitee/