Caution at the Vatican amid US-China tussle over Taiwan
- The Holy See is taking a wait-and-see approach to cutting ties with Taipei and connecting with Beijing, analysts say
- ‘Vatican remains concerned’ about religious policies on the mainland while facing possible pressure to join a US-led democratic alliance
The Vatican has become more cautious about changing its diplomatic relationship with Taiwan as the island becomes the focus of growing diplomatic wrangling over the island by Beijing and Washington, according to observers.
The Vatican is one of Taipei’s 15 diplomatic allies, but has long expressed desire to revive its official ties with Beijing – a relationship that was severed in 1951.
But that progress has been complicated as tensions have grown between Beijing and Washington over Taiwan, raising concerns about whether the two powers are edging towards conflict.
Beijing’s growing assertiveness on the island has sent a deep sense of unease through Vatican officials, according to Franco Massimo, a political columnist with Italian newspaper, Corriere della Sera.
In an article earlier this month, Massimo quoted a Vatican diplomat as saying that China had demanded the Holy See cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan but the Vatican instead requested an embassy be set up in Beijing before it would begin reviewing its ties with Taipei.
