PRC Influence and the Status of Taiwan's Diplomatic Allies in the Western Hemisphere

This brief contains testimony provided by Samantha Custer before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing on March 26, 2025 on "PRC Influence and the Status of Taiwan’s Diplomatic Allies in the Western Hemisphere."

Custer's testimony draws on over a decade of research into China's development finance and its use of soft power to answer three questions:

1. How does the People’s Republic of China (PRC) influence the Western Hemisphere?
2. In what ways does the PRC’s economic power constrain Taiwan’s ability to attract and retain diplomatic allies?
3. What are the key battlegrounds for influence, vulnerabilities, and opportunities for U.S. interests?

It concludes by highlighting eight opportunities worth considering for the U.S. to help Taiwan retain existing allies and attract new ones.

Note: These remarks represent the author's own views and do not reflect the official position of AidData at William & Mary, CISSM at the University of Maryland, nor any of the funders of AidData's or CISSM's research.