<div style="text-align: justify; "><span style="font-size: 1rem;"><b>China is likely to ramp up its diplomatic "attacks" on Taiwan following last week's twice-a-decade congress, including snatching more of the island's few remaining diplomatic allies, Taiwan's foreign minister said on Wednesday.</b></span><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">China's ruling Communist Party wrapped up its congress on Saturday, cementing Chinese President Xi Jinping's grip on power.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">In a report to parliament, Taiwan's foreign minister Joseph Wu said he expected Beijing to ramp up its "security threat and diplomatic suppression" on the island, which is claimed by China as its own territory despite strong objections by Taiwan.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"China is likely to increase its attacks and threats on Taiwan, especially in the diplomatic field," Wu told lawmakers. "This is what we are worried about."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Wu said Taiwan has received "signs" and intelligence from unspecified diplomatic allies that China is boosting efforts to lure the island's allies into switching official recognition to Beijing.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">"The diplomatic challenges we are facing are getting bigger and bigger," he said. "Looking forward our situation is becoming more difficult."</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Under Wu's term, six countries have switched official recognition from Taipei to Beijing, which says Taiwan has no right to state-to-state ties.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Only 14 countries now officially recognize the island's government, mostly poor and developing countries in the Pacific, Latin America and the Caribbean.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">Beijing and Taipei have accused each other of using "dollar diplomacy" to lure countries into building official ties with them.</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify;">China has stepped up diplomatic and military pressure to try to force Taiwan to accept Chinese rule. Taiwan's government says only the island's 23 million people can decide their future, and that as Taiwan has never been ruled by the People's Republic of China its sovereignty claims are void. Reuters</div><div style="text-align: justify;"><br></div><div style="text-align: justify; ">bnbd24/kh</div>