Nicaragua’s decision last week to cut ties with Taiwan was part of a deliberate move by China to target Taipei’s diplomatic allies after it was excluded from a democracy summit hosted by Washington, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) said yesterday.
Nicaragua broke its longstanding diplomatic ties with Taiwan last week, switching allegiance to Beijing in a recognition of the Chinese Communist Party’s “one China” principle and reducing Taipei’s dwindling pool of diplomatic allies.
“When democratic countries were holding a democratic summit, China was excluded, China was a target, so China chose this opportunity to set about targeting our diplomatic allies,” Wu said on the sidelines of a forum on regional security.
Photo: CNA
Minister Without Portfolio Audrey Tang (唐鳳) and Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) represented Taiwan at US President Joe Biden’s Summit for Democracy last week. China was not on the US Department of State’s invited participants list.
“Losing a diplomatic ally is a very painful thing for us,” Wu told reporters.
The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Beijing has increased military and political pressure on Taiwan, with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) saying that Taiwan would not bend to pressure or change its determination to uphold democracy and freedom.
“The more successful Taiwan’s democracy is, the stronger the international support and the greater the pressure from the authoritarian camp,” Tsai said.
Nicaragua’s move to re-establish diplomatic ties with China would likely boost Beijing’s influence in a part of the world long considered to be the US’ backyard, angering the Biden administration.
Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega first cut ties with Taiwan in 1985, but they were re-established in 1990 under then-Nicaraguan president Violeta Barrios de Chamorro.
Wu said all of his colleagues in the ministry had “put forth their greatest efforts to maintain these diplomatic ties.”
Nicaragua’s move leaves Taiwan with just 14 diplomatic allies, most of them in Latin America and the Caribbean.
EIGHT KILLED: Three of the four juvenile victims were children of the man suspected of setting the fire at the tire repair shop after a family dispute Four of the eight people killed in a fire in Hsinchu City on Wednesday night were children and the other four were adults who died while trying to rescue the children from the second floor of the burning building, the city’s Fire Bureau said yesterday. Fire Bureau First Corps commander Chang Chih-chih (張智智) told a news conference that the fire at Zheng Yi Tire Repair Shop on Dongda Road might have been intentionally set by the owner’s son, Chen Yen-hsiang (陳彥翔), who earlier had an argument with other family members. Chen allegedly bought gasoline and lit a fire near four motorcycles inside
FIFA World Cup host Qatar has corrected an online application form that listed Taiwan as part of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said yesterday. Following the ministry’s protest on Wednesday, “Taiwan” replaced “Taiwan, Province of China” on a dropdown menu on the Web site to apply for a Hayya Card, an identification card all World Cup spectators are required to obtain, ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said. “We express our appreciation to the event organizers for their swift response in making the correction and safeguarding the rights of our nation’s fans,” she added. The card also serves as an entry visa for
FIVE QUESTIONED: Customers reported faulty kits after Safeway OA Supply Co allegedly imported poor-quality versions from China and sold them as US-made products The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) yesterday banned the sale and importation of Flowflex COVID-19 rapid test kits, after 2.37 million flawed kits, allegedly made in China, entered the Taiwanese market and were sold to 13 government agencies. According to regulations, the kits should be manufactured in factories in the US, but the importer allegedly imported poor-quality kits from China illegally and sold them as US-made products, FDA section chief Fu Ying-hsien (傅映先) said. The FDA ordered that all Flowflex COVID-19 Antigen Home Tests that were imported by Safeway OA Supply Co Ltd (大鑫資訊) be recalled and warned customers against buying or
NEW TRAVEL REGIME: The CECC advised people to stay put in between quarantine and self-disease prevention, but said that they could apply for a location change Inbound travelers who need to change locations for the four-day self-disease prevention period following their three-day quarantine must apply with their local government, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. The “one person per household” principle would remain in place under the new “3+4” quarantine policy, which was implemented yesterday, the center said. More than 4,500 incoming travelers were expected yesterday, including more than 980 people who entered Taiwan in the early morning, said Centers for Disease Control Deputy Director-General Philip Lo (羅一鈞), the CECC’s acting spokesman and medical response division deputy head. Lo said many people had asked the CECC whether
RSS