YOUTUBE STAR’S QUEST TO VISIT TAIWAN’S ALLIES

Young traveller wants to create greater awareness of nations who stayed loyal to Taipei

FROM battling a storm in the Solomon Islands to consulting a witch doctor in eSwatini, Ben Wu has trekked some of the world’s lesstrodden paths as he embarks on a quest to visit all of Taiwan’s dwindling diplomatic allies.

The list of countries he must visit is short — just 17 nations still recognise Taiwan over China, a vivid illustration of the democratic island’s international isolation as Beijing uses its clout to woo Taipei’s few remaining friends.

Last summer Wu, 25, was having a meeting in Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry on the day El Salvador just happened to become the latest country to switch its recognition to Beijing. He watched as the country’s flag was removed from the ministry’s entrance.

“I think young people only know about our allies when there is a termination of diplomatic relations, and this is not good,” said Wu.

Using YouTube, Wu is trying to change that. He came up with the idea to visit the remaining allies while riding the Trans-Siberian Railway.

“I love travel and some of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies are less known. I hope to explore these countries that fewer people have travelled to and be a part of ‘people diplomacy’,” he said.

Wu has ticked off five allies in the Pacific — Tuvalu, Nauru, Kiribati, the Marshall Islands and the Solomon Islands — as well the only ally in Africa, eSwatini.

This month, he sets out for Latin America and the Caribbean to visit Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Paraguay, Haiti, Belize, Saint Lucia, St Vincent and the Grenadines, as well as St Kitts and Nevis.

After its split from the mainland in 1949, when the communists defeated Chiang Kai-shek’s nationalists, it was the Republic of China that was recognised by the majority, not the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

The global reversal began in earnest in 1971, when Taiwan — then in the grip of Chiang’s military dictatorship — was kicked out of the international club by the United Nations General Assembly, which recognised the PRC as “the only legitimate representative of China”. Allies began falling like dominoes, with Washington switching recognition in 1979.

Wu said he wanted greater awareness of the those who have stayed loyal to Taiwan, even if somewhere like Tuvalu only boasts some 12,000 people.

“These countries have a voice in international organisations. They can speak up for Taiwan and let more people know about Taiwan’s difficult diplomatic situation,” he said.

Meanwhile, Wu’s YouTube videos on his channel Ben’s Adventures have racked up tens of thousands of views and turned into a career.

Wu says he hopes other young Taiwanese might follow in his footsteps.

One shows him bashed by a storm in a rickety boat after seeing human skulls left by headhunters in the Solomon Islands.

Others show him consulting a witch doctor in a dark room filled with bags of herbs in eSwatini, eating betel nuts in Kiribati and finding Taiwanese food in a Marshall Islands supermarket.

“I hope to introduce the culture, tradition, custom and sightseeing of our allies in a relaxing way so people can get to know these countries. I am opening a window, a door and people can explore the rest.”

I hope to explore these countries that fewer people have travelled to and be a part of ‘people diplomacy’.