Pope Francis announced that the Vatican is to enter into “high-level talks” with the People’s Republic of China. Whether this would lead to the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two and whether Taiwan’s sovereignty and international status could sustain yet another blow is being hotly debated in Taiwan. Many people fear that this could set off a domino effect that would place Taiwan on the sidelines of global society as an “international orphan.”
However, an online search for “Taiwan” and “same-sex marriage” turns up millions of hits, including on the Web sites of major international media outlets such as the BBC, CNN, the Guardian, Time and the Washington Post. The media have reported the event as headline news, praising Taiwan for being the first Asian country to recognize same-sex marriage and saying that the move will have a far-reaching effect on marriage equality in other Asian states.
