Taiwanese Soft Power Diplomacy in Latin America and the Caribbean

Abstract

The article analyses Taiwan’s soft power diplomacy towards Latin America and the Caribbean (LAC). As a state with a contested statehood and a lack of sufficient hard power resources, Taiwan must refer to (hybrid) soft power activities to make other states, allies or not, want it to survive. Most of Taiwan’s diplomatic supporters are in LAC. However, LAC countries’ different relations with Taiwan, diverging views on the US and China, and dissimilar political cultures seem to require a “hybrid” and varied soft power diplomacy in LAC.