On the heels of losing another diplomatically, Taiwan continues to win friends and influence others in the only way it knows how: through its soft power.
For many countries, the concept of ‘One China’ represents a distant diplomatic stoush that is best left alone. For Taiwan, it’s an existential threat. This threat has never been more apparent than last week, when the Chinese navy, the world’s largest, conducted encirclement drills around the small island nation as a “serious warning” to pro-independence politicians in Taipei.
But while China continues to expand its presence and influence in the North Pacific and beyond, Taiwan’s list of allies is dwindling. Taiwan currently maintains official diplomatic relations with just 13 countries, having lost nine allies in the past seven years. And this month, it might lose another, pending results of elections in Paraguay.
“It is not a member of the United Nations — no one can enter the UN buildings in New York or Geneva using a Taiwan passport for identification.”
Alliances allow countries to coordinate offensive and defensive military actions and share costs. But most importantly, they signal a commitment to working together based on shared interests.
Taiwan’s foreign policy goes beyond traditional diplomatic norms in the form of “smart diplomacy” — a “mix of soft power and niche expertise … [focusing] on building business-to-business as well as people-to-people relationships.”