Nicaragua broke the diplomatic ties it had with Taiwan since 1990 and, then re-established them with China, reducing to 20 official allies of the island , who lamented the “contempt” by the Government of the Central American country, headed by Daniel Ortega.
On Thursday afternoon in Nicaragua, The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Denis Moncada , signed a statement in which he announced that his country “breaks diplomatic relations with Taiwan as of today and ceases to have any contact or official relationship “.
” The Government of the Republic of Nicaragua declares that recognizes that in the world there is only one China . The People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory “, reads the document.
Thus, Nicaragua recognized the “one China principle” advocated by Beijing , which contemplates that both China and Taiwan – separated ‘de facto’ after the end of the civil war in 1949 – they are parts of the same territory and that the authorities that have legitimacy to govern it are the communists.
Precisely, one of the requirements that Beijing imposes on any country that wishes to establish official ties with China is to cut them with Taiwan , an island whose sovereignty it claims and which has always considered a “rebellious province” to be “reunited” with the rest of the People’s Republic.
China: “is the right choice”
Just hours after Moncada’s declaration, China announced the resumption of diplomatic relations ommatics with Nicaragua after a meeting held in the northeastern city of Tianjin, some 200 kilometers from Beijing, between delegations from both countries .
On the Nicaraguan side, the main emissary was Laureano Ortega Murillo, advisor for Investments, Trade and International Cooperation of the Presidency and son of President Ortega, while for the Chinese it was the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs dedicated to Latin American and Caribbean affairs, Ma Zhaoxu.
Both signed a joint statement announcing the “mutual recognition” and the reestablishment of diplomatic relations “at the level of ambassadors” as of today.
After the meeting, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry stated in another statement that the Managua decision It is “the right choice, in line with the global trend and supported by the people.”
“ China deeply appreciates this decision “, continues e he document, in which Beijing undertakes to “work with Nicaragua to strengthen friendly cooperation in various fields, in order to benefit both countries and their peoples.”
The decision of Nicaragua -one of the three poorest countries in America- occurs after announcing its departure, effective in 2023, of the Organization of American States (OAS) , a body that refused to give democratic legitimacy to the elections of November 7, in which Ortega was re-elected for a fifth term.
Ortega’s “contempt” leaves Taiwan with 14 allies
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan regretted Managua’s decision and described it as a “contempt” of the government led by the former Sandinista guerrilla to the “long friendship” that united them , marked by a “successful cooperation that benefited both peoples.”
Until now, the island was the most important bilateral donor in the Central American country, where it financed 27 projects in areas of food production, fruit crops and higher quality pig farming, among others, worth between 30 million and 50 million dollars, according to data from the Nicaraguan Government.
Likewise, the Foreign Ministry accused Beijing of “once again coercing a diplomatic ally to break its relations with Taiwan” and assured that “it will not give in to pressure from China.”
With this last break, Taipei sees how the number of countries that recognize it as a legitimate government is reduced to 14 , including several Latin Americans such as Guatemala, Honduras or Paraguay.
The rest of the nations that continue to officially recognize Taiwan are Belize, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Luc ía, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu, Palau, Eswatini and Vatican City.
Although the last to cut relations with Taiwan in favor of China were the Solomon Islands and Kiribati, both in 2019, in previous years other Central American countries such as Panama or El Salvador also made that decision.
It remains to be seen if Honduras joins that list, since the country’s new president-elect, the leftist Xiomara Castro, indicated earlier of the elections that he would do, although in recent days one of his vice presidents, Salvador Nasralla, ruled him out to protect relations with the United States, Taipei’s main unofficial ally.
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