Nicaragua breaks diplomatic ties with Taiwan

By Laura Gamba

BOGOTA, Colombia (AA) - Nicaragua officially broke off diplomatic relations with Taiwan on Thursday and announced that it had switched allegiance to Beijing.

"The government of the Republic of Nicaragua declares that it recognizes that in the world, there is only one single China,” Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada Colindres said in a statement.

“The People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of the Chinese territory,” he added.

Taiwan, in turn, expressed "pain and regret" at the decision and also ended relations with the Nicaraguan government.

“The Taiwan government deeply regrets this decision. To safeguard national sovereignty and dignity, Taiwan has decided to terminate diplomatic relations with Nicaragua with immediate effect, end all bilateral cooperation projects and aid programs, and recall staff of its Embassy and Technical Mission in Nicaragua,” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

“Taiwan deeply regrets that the Ortega government has decided to disregard the long-standing and close friendship between the people of Taiwan and Nicaragua.”

The county’s move leaves Taiwan with 14 diplomatic allies, most of them in Latin America and the Caribbean. However, Nicaragua’s decision may further tip the balance in favor of Beijing after other countries, including Honduras, have floated the idea of switching to China.

China has accused the US of "arm-twisting" after a US delegation said that Washington wanted Honduras to maintain its diplomatic relations with Taiwan. However, the decision comes as no surprise after US President Joe Biden last month denounced an election in favor of Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega as rigged.

While Taiwan considers itself a sovereign state, China regards it as its own territory and it has not ruled out using force to achieve unification.