11.   China considers reunification with Taiwan, seat of the rival Nationalist government, a top national priority and has sought to isolate the island diplomatically.

12.   He also warned that China was sparing no efforts to isolate the island.

13.   In response, Beijing tested missiles in the seas off Taiwan, fired barrages of scathing editorials against Lee and pressured other governments to keep the island isolated diplomatically.

14.   Since then, Beijing has sought to isolate the island, refusing to have ties with countries that recognize it as a nation.

15.   Taiwan announced plans Tuesday to increase spending on foreign aid as part of a diplomatic tussle with China, which wants to isolate the island politically.

16.   Taiwanese officials returned Saturday from an aid mission to Macedonia that marked a rare chance for this diplomatically isolated island to participate in a major international relief effort.

17.   Taiwan should negotiate on political issues if it wants China to reduce pressure to isolate the island internationally, the paper quoted Tang saying.

18.   Taiwan has said it will lift the shipping ban only when China ends its policy of isolating the island diplomatically and renounces the use of force to retake it.

19.   While many called the study plan pragmatic, others questioned whether Taiwan should encourage exchanges with China as Beijing has intensified its efforts to isolate the island diplomatically.

20.   Beijing views Taiwan as a province of China and has worked to isolate the island internationally, while refusing to normalize relations with any country that diplomatically recognizes Taiwan.