On Monday, a day after Tsai secured a second term with about 57 per cent of the vote, Taipei mayor Ko Wen-je represented her government to sign a sister-city pact with Prague mayor Zdenek Hrib, who ignored mainland warnings not to go ahead with the agreement.

Prague had already pulled out of plans for a similar arrangement with the city of Beijing in October over Beijing’s push to include a one-China commitment in the pact.

On Tuesday, Shanghai, which also had sister-city ties with Prague, announced it was ending its agreement, saying the Czech capital betrayed its pledge and challenged its one-China principle.

Taiwan sends presidential envoy to Prague after move to scrap sister city agreement with Beijing

Beijing’s concern that Tsai’s win could embolden her to take more radical steps towards independence for the island was evident on Sunday when Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang warned foreign governments to abide by one China in relation to Taiwan.

Foreign Minister Wang Yi also delivered a stern warning during a visit to Zimbabwe on Monday when he said Taiwan’s reunification with the mainland was “inevitable” and anyone who attempted to split the country would “stink for 10,000 years”.

Beijing considers Taiwan a wayward province that must be brought back to the mainland’s fold by force if necessary.

Hrib has argued that the one-China pledge confirming the mainland’s sovereignty over Taiwan is a political matter and unsuitable for inclusion in the sister-city deal because it was a cultural arrangement.

In interviews after the signing of the city deal with Ko on Monday, Hrib, who took office in November 2018, said Prague wanted non-political partnerships with its sister cities, prompting suggestions that his anti-China attitude could hurt his country’s relationship with China.

But Hrib said he had discussed the issue with the Czech foreign minister, who assured him that sister-city ties were within the jurisdiction of each city’s government and unrelated to nation-to-nation ties.

Ko criticised Beijing’s “barbaric” handling of the sister-city issue with Prague and urged authorities in the mainland to be more open-minded about Taipei’s friendly exchanges with Prague.

China hits out after Prague council cancels sister-city deal

“Taiwan needs more friends around the world and given the Czech Republic’s reputation as an important industrialised country in central and eastern Europe, Prague can serve as a gateway for Taiwan to enter the region,” Taiwan’s Central News Agency quoted him as saying.

As Ko left for Prague on Sunday, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu also headed to Guatemala and Honduras to cement relations.

Wu was expected to attend the inauguration of Guatemalan President Alejandro Eduardo Giammattei on Tuesday before travelling to Honduras.

Both Wu and his ministry have stressed that ties with Guatemala and Honduras have remained robust despite reports that Beijing is offering strong financial incentives to switch ties.

Analysts said the incentives would increase now that Tsai has retained office.

Bonnie Glaser, senior adviser for Asia and director of the China Power Project at the Washington-based Centre for Strategic and International Studies, said Chinese President Xi Jinping was more likely to move in a “tougher” than “softer” direction on Taiwan.

“I will not be surprised if they continue to go after [Taiwan’s allies] and maybe even one in the near term,” she said.

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Glaser said she wondered whether Wu’s visit in Guatemala “reflects concern that Beijing is going to move quickly to steal another one of Taiwan’s diplomatic partners”.

Jacques deLisle, director of the Asia programme at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in Philadelphia, also said that “there is a significant possibility that things will take a turn for the worse, depending mostly on what Beijing does”.

Shi Yinhong, a professor of international relations at Renmin University, said Beijing would likely double its pressure diplomatic, economic and military pressure on the island in the wake of Tsai’s victory.

Li Zhenguang, Taiwan studies professor from Beijing Union University, agreed but said Beijing would refrain from aggressive steps unless Taipei became provocative.

Additional reporting by Minnie Chan