After severing its ties with Taiwan, the Pacific nation of Nauru is now officially resuming diplomatic relations with China. Both countries signed a corresponding agreement. It is a major setback for Taiwan.
After the break with Taiwan, the small Pacific island of Nauru and the People’s Republic of China have officially resumed diplomatic relations. This was announced by the Chinese Foreign Ministry in Beijing. Nauru thereby recognizes that there is only one China and that Taiwan is part of the People’s Republic, it said.
China’s Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his Nauruan colleague Lionel Aingimea signed a corresponding document in Beijing. Wang highlighted the “long history” of “friendship between the two peoples.” Aingimea said his country looked forward to “this new chapter in Nauru-China relations” based on “strength” and “development strategy”.
Number of Taiwan supporters is falling
Previously, Nauru was one of very few countries to officially recognize Taiwan. After Lai Ching-te of the Democratic Progressive Party won the Taiwanese presidential election on January 13, the South Sea island with around 11,500 inhabitants announced that it would break off diplomatic relations with Taiwan’s government after 22 years. The government no longer recognizes Taiwan as an independent country, but as an “inalienable part of Chinese territory,” as Nauru President David Adeang explained.
Taiwanese politicians accused China of luring the island into making the switch by promising economic aid. The government in Beijing wants to further expand its influence in the Pacific. Nauru is located about 4,000 kilometers northeast of the Australian metropolis of Sydney.
Nauru had already broken off diplomatic relations with Taiwan in July 2002. However, in 2005, the island changed its mind again after China reneged on its promises to support the country.
Other states may follow suit
After Nauru’s departure, Taiwan still maintains diplomatic relations with eleven countries and the Vatican. Seven of the countries are in Latin America and the Caribbean, three in the Pacific and one in Africa.
According to reports, the Pacific island of Tuvalu is also considering reconsidering relations with Taiwan in a similar way to Nauru after the parliamentary election next Saturday.
China counts Taiwan as part of its territory, even though Taipei has had a democratic government for decades. The Progressive Party stands for independence for Taiwan, and even if it does not want to officially declare it, the party is a thorn in China’s side.