COVID-19 and Non-Traditional Diplomacy: The ＂Taiwan Can Help＂ Campaign in Mexico

Fabricio A. Fonseca

《Tamkang Journal of International Affairs》 24卷4期 (2021/04) Pp. 67-117

https://doi.org/10.6185/TJIA.V.202104_24(4).0002

摘要

The different responses to the COVID-19 pandemic around the world are opening new fields of study in Political Science and International Relations. The need to constantly maintain and enlarge its international space has led Taiwan to develop innovative ways to showcase its response to the pandemic, as well as its willingness to assist other countries. To do that, different instruments associated with types of non-traditional diplomacy have been used. This paper suggests that in the case of Mexico, some features of public and parliamentary diplomacy can be identified in the implementation of the ＂Taiwan Can Help＂ Campaign. Through the analysis of the multiple donations of groceries and medical supplies to different communities in Mexico, one of the countries in Latin America with no official diplomatic ties with Taipei, this paper presents how the campaign has been carried through cooperation projects between representatives of the island and lawmakers in the host country. This pattern replicates the strategy followed by Taiwan in nations with mature economies, forging closer ties with parliamentarians in countries with democratic systems, as a way to advance a positive image consisting in shared values and a common future. By focusing on the implementation of this type of public diplomacy during the pandemic, this paper seeks to contribute to a much larger debate around the state of international relations in a post-COVID-19 world.

關鍵字

Public Diplomacy ； Taiwan ； Parliamentary Diplomacy ； COVID-19 ； Mexico

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