Taiwan's allies coy on Panama's Beijing embrace

The remaining Central American allies of Taiwan on Tuesday offered guarded responses to Panama's decision to embrace the "One China" policy and switch allegiance to Beijing, deflecting the question of whether they could follow suit.

On Monday, Panama said it had broken with Taiwan to forge ties with Beijing, in a major victory for China's efforts to isolate the island it views as a renegade province.

Following Panama's departure from the fold, Taiwan has full ties with 20 countries - several of them in Central America, where Taiwanese economic aid has helped support a region that relies heavily on agriculture and struggles with law and order.

Source: Reuters