A nation must think before it acts.
However, maintaining relations with a small number of states is less important than it was two decades ago, since Taiwanese have shifted their thinking to emphasize “informal, substantive relationships over formal diplomatic partnerships,” said Taiwan politics expert Shelley Rigger, a political scientist and longtime observer of Taiwanese politics at Davidson College in North Carolina.
Rigger and other observers said they expect Beijing to continue picking off Taiwan’s remaining allies — including Paraguay — as a means of piling the pressure on Tsai.