I agree with your editorial "Diplomacy isn't just about numbers" (Oct. 28, page 8). We must not only focus on the number of our allies, but also review our foreign policy pragmatically in the face of China's effort to isolate Taiwan.
Senegalese President Abdoulaye Wade visited Taiwan many times. But to our surprise, he made the crude and astonishing announcement, "There are no friends between nations, only interests."
Even though we have done our best to assist Senegal to develop its economy with an agricultural technology corps, we cannot rival China's dollar diplomacy.
Therefore, we should wake up to the reality that China's efforts to undermine Taiwan through dollar diplomacy aren't likely to stop. China will keep on bullying Taiwan and blocking our diplomatic efforts.
From this point, all people in Taiwan should be cautious and stay alert instead of being lured by China's "goodwill," such as offering pandas and importing Taiwanese fruit.
We cannot become demoralized because of the temporary diplomatic failure. Rather, we must take advantage of our economic and strategic edge and show our determination to defend the country.
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