The Nicaraguan government on 10 December re-established diplomatic ties with China. The central American country also broke ties with Taiwan. The move is a blow to the US and Taiwan.
The announcement of resumption of diplomatic ties were made after the signing of a communique between Nicaragua’s Laureano Ortega Murillo, son of, and advisor to the President Daniel Ortega and Chinese vice foreign minister Ma Zhaoxu on Friday.
Taiwan, which China claims as its own, had diplomatic ties with Nicaragua. The Nicaraguan official statement says it only recognises China.
This move is certainly a win for China’s efforts to build support for “One China” policy. China has successfully used its economic superpower status and sustained diplomatic campaign to isolate the island.
There are as many as 14 countries that have official ties with Taiwan. In the Central American region, only Belize, Guatemala and Honduras have diplomatic ties with Taipei.
Reacting to the decision, Taiwan expressed “pain and regret” at the move.
Beijing has intensified its military might to put pressure on Taiwan and claim it.
The Chinese government has downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania recently after Lithuanian government opened a representative office in Taipei.
As per reports, the Chinese government has instructed Chinese companies to sever ties with Lithuania or face consequences.
It may also be noted that the US government had recently imposed sanctions against the Nicaraguan government over election rigging and fraud. Nicaragua moving away from Taiwan will displease the US, as central America serves as its backyard.
Hosting the Nicaraguan President’s sons in the Chinese city of Tianjin, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said that it has made the “correct choice.”
The US reacted by saying that the government’s decision is not reflective of the wishes of its people as the Ortega government was not elected in a free election.
The Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said that only 14 countries have official ties with Taipei because of “Dollar diplomacy” by the US and Taiwan.
In 2019, the Nicaraguan Parliament had accepted a $100 million loan from Taiwan which was never paid. The bank, however, did not process it due to “procedural issues with allocation requirements.”
Tension between the US and its allies, and China has been rising over a host of issues. The announcement comes after the US, followed by the UK, Canada, Australia and Lithuania decided to diplomatically boycott the upcoming Winter Olympics to be held in Beijing in 2022 over genocide and large-scale human rights violations against minorities in China.
