Taiwan wants to join the IMF to get financial protection from China

Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — Taiwan is making a longshot push to join the International Monetary Fund. The democratically ruled island is a major economy the size of Poland but absent from global organizations. Taiwan’s de facto embassy in the United States says membership at the IMF would help boost the island’s financial resilience. China, which sees Taiwan as a breakaway province and threatens to annex it by force, has blocked efforts for Taiwan to get membership in global organizations. Beijing insists it represents Taiwan in international forums. The Taiwanese effort comes as the IMF and World Bank hold their annual meetings this week. The U.S. has a policy to advocate for Taiwan membership or observer status in international organizations. The IMF has no comment.