Nauru, a small Pacific nation, announced on Monday its intention to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognize China, a decision immediately confirmed by Taipei.
The president of the micro-island state, David Adeyang, announced the choice in a speech published on Facebook, posting “The Nauru Government’s decision to recognize the People’s Republic of China”.
“The Republic of China (Taiwan’s official name, editor’s note) will immediately sever diplomatic relations with Nauru, to preserve our national pride,” Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang announced during a press conference on Monday, following the announcement. By the President of Nauru.
In a press release, the island nation’s government said it would no longer recognize Taiwan as a “separate country” but as “an inalienable part of Chinese territory.”
Nauru will “immediately sever diplomatic relations” with Taiwan and “will no longer develop official relations or official exchanges with Taiwan,” he said.
Taiwanese authorities responded by accusing China of offering “economic aid” to the island of Nauru to encourage it to switch its diplomatic ties from Taipei to Beijing.
“China actively contacted political figures in Nauru and used economic aid to induce the country to change its diplomatic recognition,” Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang told a press conference.
Beijing welcomed the decision by Nauru, which was one of the few nations to officially recognize Taiwan diplomatically.
With the switch, only 12 countries remain to officially recognize Taiwan to the detriment of China, which claims the autonomous democratic island as part of its territory and has vowed to one day take it back by force if necessary.
Nauru, with a population of about 12,500, is the latest Pacific country to turn its back on longstanding ties with Taiwan.
In 2019, the Solomon Islands also announced that it was abandoning diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in favor of China.
Published at 8:23 am on January 15, AFP
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