On August 5, 2008, the then President of Taiwan, Ma Ying-jeou, would receive the then President of Nauru, Marcus Stephen. Taiwan rolled out the red carpet in Nauru, then one of the few countries to recognize Taipei (AFP/Archives/SAM YEH)
Nauru, a small Pacific nation, announced on Monday the severance of its diplomatic relations with Taiwan and its intention to recognize China, a decision immediately confirmed by Taipei.
The president of this micro-island state, David Adeang, announced this choice in a speech published on Facebook, posting “the decision of the government of Nauru to recognize the People’s Republic of China”.
“The Republic of China (official name of Taiwan, editor’s note) will immediately sever its diplomatic relations with Nauru, in order to preserve our national dignity,” declared Taiwanese Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang on Monday during a press conference, after 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 “rather 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 reacted by accusing China of having offered “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 said at a press conference.
Beijing welcomed the decision by Nauru, which was one of the few nations to officially recognize Taiwan diplomatically.
With this turnaround, 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 around 12,500, is the latest Pacific country to turn its back on a long-standing relationship with Taiwan.
In 2019, the Solomon Islands also announced that it was abandoning diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in favor of China.
© 2024 AFP
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