There are numerous ways Taiwan tries to remain active in the international arena, including by maintaining official and unofficial relations with other countries, participating in international political and economic organs, or engaging with external actors through its civil society and the nonprofit sectors. The current Tsai administration has arguably had to adapt to a disproportionately large number of world events, compared to previous administrations, including two major unprecedented ones in relative quick succession: the outbreak of COVID and the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Competition for diplomatic recognition between the ROC and the PRC was borne with the inception of the latter and played out against the larger backdrop of the Cold War. Following the passage of UN Resolution , the number of countries recognizing the PRC surged, continuing further along this trajectory after the United States and the PRC normalized relations in Around the same time, Taipei began to place greater emphasis on the commercial and cultural elements of diplomacy.
For more on this, see S. Under this approach, Taipei accepted countries having official ties with both the ROC and PRC, though Beijing remained steadfast in it being one or the other. Taiwan took advantage of its economic strength to help grow its international space.
It fostered deeper trade and investment relationships with major economies around the world, which lessened its reliance on the PRC market. Taiwan successfully joined the World Trade Organization and secured membership in eight IGOs and observer status in seven. This all led to wariness from the United States and other countries, all while accusations of checkbook diplomacy endured. The diplomatic truce era was revealing in that it showcased PRC priorities, with the management of cross-Strait relationsβa core interest for the Chinese Communist Party leadershipβtaking precedence over increasing the number of countries that recognize the PRC.
When Gambia unilaterally cut ties with the ROC without prior consultation with Taipei or Beijing, it expected the latter to welcome its offer to formalize an official relationship. Due to this wariness, it does not have diplomatic ties with any of the permanent five members of the United Nations Security Council.
