Print

Mail

wiki links

Nicaragua-Taiwan ties still strong: ambassador

“We are very grateful [to] Taiwan for all it has done for us. Taiwan has come to our aid at the time we needed it the most.”

— William Tapia, Nicaraguan ambassador

Nicaragua remains a close ally of Taiwan and all rumors of the country’s attempt to switch recognition to Beijing are false, Nicaraguan Ambassador to Taipei William Tapia said yesterday.

Tapia was responding to a comment made by Edward Chen (陳一新), a professor at the Graduate Institute of American Studies of Tamkang Univeristy. At a forum last Thursday, Chen said Nicaragua was one of six Latin American countries that had been rejected by Beijing when they offered to switch their allegiance.

“After [President Ma Ying-jeou] (馬英九) assumed office in May, there were at least five or six countries in Central and South America alone, such as Paraguay, Haiti, Nicaragua ... intending to establish ties with China, but they were all rejected by Beijing,” Chen said at the forum, which focused on the effects of the “diplomatic truce” policy on Taiwan’s relations with Beijing.

Tapia denied the allegation, saying Managua had never made such an offer to Beijing and that it remained a stalwart ally to Taipei.

“We are very grateful [to] Taiwan for all it has done for us. Taiwan has come to our aid at the time we needed it the most,” he said.

Tapia read an official statement from his government, which stated that “the international relations of the Republic of Nicaragua do not rely upon conditions of any kind but are based upon self-determination.”

“[Nicaraguan] President Daniel Ortega has shown a cordial and firm relationship with Taiwan and there are no signs that could show a change in the near future,” Tapia said.

Ortega, of the leftist Sandinista government, had said on several occasions during his campaign for president that Nicaragua was open to making friends with all nations, including China.

During Ortega’s first term in office in 1985, Managua broke ties with Taipei to forge relations with China. The relationship lasted six years until former president Violeta Chamorro again recognized Taiwan after defeating Ortega in 1990.

Tapia said Ortega had been unable to attend Ma’s inauguration because he was occupied with domestic affairs, but that he wished to visit Taiwan sometime during his presidency.
This story has been viewed 1349 times.