[Asia Economy Reporter Kim Suhwan] China has recently reportedly set the severance of diplomatic ties with Taiwan as a precondition for establishing diplomatic relations with the Vatican.
This applies the existing approach of forcing countries that maintain official relations with Taiwan to choose between the two, based on the "One China" principle, leaving the Pope apparently unable to hide his embarrassment.
On the 26th, Taiwanese media such as United Daily News and China Times, citing Italian media, reported that China demanded the Vatican sever ties with Taiwan in exchange for establishing diplomatic relations with China.
Italy's largest daily newspaper, Corriere della Sera, reported this on the 24th, citing an anonymous senior Vatican official.
The Vatican proposed establishing an embassy in Beijing first and then discussing its relations with Taiwan again, but the proposal was not accepted, the newspaper added.
This is the first time the Vatican has presented a clear framework regarding its relations with China and Taiwan.
The newspaper said the Vatican is concerned about the increasing risk of military conflict in the Taiwan Strait due to the confrontation between the US and China, and that China is constantly forcing the Vatican, which seeks to maintain dialogue, to make a "choice," putting it in a difficult situation.
In fact, since the Vatican has no precedent of proactively severing diplomatic ties with foreign countries, there are observations that it is caught in a dilemma due to China's stance.
In this regard, former Vatican ambassador Dai Ruiming predicted that China would not accept the Vatican's proposal.
He said China will definitely demand the Vatican to first resolve its relations with Taiwan, and questioned whether the Chinese government, which does not allow interference in religious affairs, would recognize the Vatican's proselytizing stance opposing the death penalty abolition and abortion.
The Vatican is the only country in Europe that maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Au Chang-an said the day before that they maintain a close relationship with the Vatican and that various communication channels are smooth.
Spokesperson Au emphasized that the Vatican's blessing for the peace and prosperity of the Taiwanese people at Taiwan's National Day event on the 10th proves the strong friendship between the Vatican and Taiwan.
Earlier, in September 2018, the Vatican and China tentatively agreed on a compromise plan in which the Chinese government recognized the Pope as the supreme leader of the global Catholic Church, while the Vatican approved seven bishops appointed by China.
At the time, the agreement resolved decades-long disagreements and conflicts between the two sides, raising expectations that the normalization of relations, severed since the establishment of the communist regime in China, was imminent.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
