Taipei calls move China\u2019s \u2018retaliation against our democratic elections\u2019
\nISTANBUL
\nAs the ruling Democratic Progressive Party was handed an unprecedented third term in Saturday\u2019s elections, Taiwan, however, Monday said it lost another diplomatic partner.
\n\u201cWith deep regret, we announce the termination of diplomatic relations with Nauru,\u201d said a brief statement by Taiwan\u2019s Foreign Ministry.
\nNauru, a tiny island country in Micronesia northeast of Australia, said it was in the \u201cbest interests\u201d of the nation to shift diplomatic relations to mainland China.
\n\u201cWe will be moving to the One-China Principle that is in line with UN Resolution 2758,\u201d it said.
\nIn a brief statement, China\u2019s Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying said: \u201cChina welcomes Nauru\u2019s… decision to sever \u2018diplomatic ties\u2019 with Taiwan and rejoin the one-China family. This is where global opinion trends. This is where the arc of history bends.\u201d
\nNauru said its decision to recognize China means it \u201cwill no longer recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan) as a separate country but rather as an inalienable part of China\u2019s territory.\u201d
\nIt brings down the number of Taipei\u2019s diplomatic allies to 12 from 18 under the administration of outgoing President Tsai Ing-wen since 2016.
\nShe will be succeeded by incumbent Vice President William Lai Ching-te who won the three-way presidential elections with 40.5% of the vote.
\n\u201cThis timing is not only China\u2019s retaliation against our democratic elections but also a direct challenge to the international order,\u201d said Taipei about Nauru ending diplomatic relations.
\n\u201cTaiwan stands unbowed and will continue as a force for good,\u201d it added.
\nChina considers Taiwan as its \u201cbreakaway province\u201d while Taipei has insisted on its independence since 1949.
\nPalau, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, Haiti, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Guatemala, Belize, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Paraguay, Saint Lucia, Holy See, and Eswatini are the 12 allies of Taiwan.
\nSolomon Islands and Kiribati snapped diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2021.
\nTaipei had indicated on Sunday that one of its 13 allies had cut ties when it reacted to China over its statement on weekend polls.
\n\u201cTaiwan\u2019s 12 diplomatic allies and the governments or parliaments of over 50 countries around the world had sent congratulations following the Jan. 13 presidential and legislative elections,\u201d the Foreign Ministry said.
\nBeijing said the win of Lai \u201ccannot represent mainstream opinion in Taiwan.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Taipei calls move China\u2019s \u2018retaliation against our democratic elections\u2019 ISTANBUL As the ruling Democratic Progressive Party was handed an unprecedented third term in Saturday\u2019s elections, Taiwan, however, Monday said it lost another diplomatic partner. \u201cWith deep regret, we announce the termination of diplomatic relations with Nauru,\u201d said a brief statement by Taiwan\u2019s Foreign Ministry. Nauru, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-381069","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-world"},"yoast_head":"\n