Taiwan Recognizes Independent Kosovo

Kosovo's declaration of independence has opened a gigantic international can of worms.

I've read various commentators who have wondered aloud if Kosovo's action will have ramifications for Taiwan. These have included my usual reads, Samizdata and Dignified Rant.

This is going to be a troublesome issue, but I can tell you a couple things even at this early date:

1. Taiwan has recognized independent Kosovo. UPDATE: DPP vice-presidential candidate Su Tseng-chang congratulated Kosovo and called it a model for Taiwan.
2. China is unhappy about Kosovo's unilateral declaration.
3. China is also unhappy about Taiwan's recognition of Kosovo. Beijing is saying that Taiwan has no right to issue such a recognition.
4. President Bush has now recognized Kosovar independence.

There's something else to think about. China, like Russia, is angry about Kosovar independence. BUT -- if China doesn't recognize Kosovo and establish ties with it, Kosovo might go ahead and establish ties with Taiwan, which has already said this: “Of course, we would like to develop further relations with countries which cherish democracy and freedom.” (from Phoebe Yeh, Taiwanese foreign ministry spokeswoman, commenting on Kosovo)

As a student of history, I can't help fighting a feeling of weird deja-vu. The Balkans have always been a tinder box -- and all out of proportion to its geographical size, as most tinder boxes are.