SYDNEY: The tiny South Pacific nation of Nauru announced Monday it was switching diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China, a move that bolsters Beijing’s ambitions in the region.
The Nauru government said it would no longer recognize Taiwan “as a separate country” but “rather as an inalienable part of China’s territory.”
China claims democratic, self-ruled Taiwan as its own territory and has vowed to one day seize it, by force if needed.
Nauru will “sever diplomatic relations” with Taiwan immediately and “no longer develop any official relations or official exchanges with Taiwan,” the island state said in a presidential statement.
Following the switch, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it was ending diplomatic relations with Nauru “to safeguard our national dignity.”
Nauru’s decision will likely be seen as a major coup for Beijing — it was one of the few countries left that officially recognized Taiwan on a diplomatic basis.
“This change is in no way intended to affect our existing warm relationships with other countries,” the Nauru government statement said.
“Nauru remains a sovereign and independent nation and wants to maintain friendly relations with other countries.”
Beijing welcomed Nauru’s switch.
“China appreciates and welcomes the Nauru government’s decision,” a spokesperson for Beijing’s foreign ministry said.
New chapter
Beijing is “willing to open a new chapter” in ties with Nauru after its decision to diplomatically recognize only China,” the spokesperson said.
Nauru — population 12,500 — is one of the world’s smallest countries and lies about 4,000 kilometers (2,500 miles) northeast of Sydney.
Taiwan and China have engaged in a diplomatic tug-of-war to lure allies in the Pacific region, offering generous aid packages and assistance in agricultural and educational development.
Veteran politician David Adeang was elected Nauru’s president in October last year.
Nauru’s diplomatic move comes two days after voters in Taiwan elected a new president, Lai Ching-te, who is viewed by China as a dangerous separatist.
Massey University Pacific security expert Anna Powles said China would benefit by “shrinking Taiwan’s diplomatic space.”
“Nauru’s decision to switch to China wasn’t unexpected but it will certainly reverberate around the Pacific,” she told AFP.
Nauru is the latest Pacific country to turn its back on a longstanding relationship with Taiwan.
In a shock announcement in 2019, Solomon Islands said it would officially recognize China.
That decision fueled concern among Western allies that Beijing might seek to establish an increased military footprint in the strategically important Pacific region.
Only 12 states, including the Holy See, now fully recognize Taiwan.
In Africa, only Eswatini officially recognizes Taiwan, while in Latin America, seven states have full diplomatic ties with the island, including Belize, Guatemala, Haiti and Paraguay.
Taiwan temporarily cut its 17-year diplomatic relationship with Nauru in July 2002.
But the two countries patched things up in 2005, when Nauru switched back to Taiwan.
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Pacific nation Nauru cuts ties to Taiwan, switches to China
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Pacific nation Nauru cuts ties to Taiwan, switches to China
- The Nauru government said it would no longer recognize Taiwan “as a separate country”
- Nauru’s decision will likely be seen as a major coup for Beijing
China FM tells EU diplomats not to blame Beijing for bloc’s problems
BEIJING: China’s foreign minister told his French and German counterparts that Beijing was not to blame for Europe’s economic and security problems as he pushed for more cooperation at a summit in Munich, a foreign ministry statement said Saturday.
Wang Yi made the comments at a meeting with France’s Jean-Noel Barrot and Germany’s Johann Wadephul on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
He sought to promote China as a reliable partner of the European Union at a time when the bloc is trying to reduce its dependence on both Beijing and an increasingly unpredictable Washington.
“China’s development is an opportunity for Europe, and Europe’s challenges do not come from China,” Wang said, according to the statement.
Warning that “unilateralism, protectionism, and power politics” were on the rise globally, he said he hoped Europe would “pursue a rational and pragmatic policy toward China.”
“The two sides are partners, not adversaries; interdependence is not a risk; intertwined interests are not a threat; and open cooperation will not harm security.”
The meeting came against the backdrop of trade tensions between the two giant economies and disputes over what the EU sees as China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The EU is seeking to cut its reliance on China for strategic goods like rare earths while also rebalancing a trade relationship that sees it run a large deficit with the world’s second-largest economy.
In recent years, the two sides have clashed over Chinese electric-vehicle exports, which threaten Europe’s car industry and which Brussels argues are based on unfair subsidies, and Chinese tariffs on EU goods ranging from cheese to cognac.
Wang urged Germany and France to help “give a clear direction for the development of China-Europe relations.”
In a separate meeting with Wadephul — also on Friday — Wang touted economic and trade cooperation as “the cornerstone of China-Germany ties,” according to a foreign ministry readout.
Wang also met Britain’s foreign minister Yvette Cooper, telling her that Beijing and London should “explore more potential for cooperation,” while the two sides also discussed Ukraine and Iran.
Wang Yi made the comments at a meeting with France’s Jean-Noel Barrot and Germany’s Johann Wadephul on the sidelines of the Munich Security Conference on Friday.
He sought to promote China as a reliable partner of the European Union at a time when the bloc is trying to reduce its dependence on both Beijing and an increasingly unpredictable Washington.
“China’s development is an opportunity for Europe, and Europe’s challenges do not come from China,” Wang said, according to the statement.
Warning that “unilateralism, protectionism, and power politics” were on the rise globally, he said he hoped Europe would “pursue a rational and pragmatic policy toward China.”
“The two sides are partners, not adversaries; interdependence is not a risk; intertwined interests are not a threat; and open cooperation will not harm security.”
The meeting came against the backdrop of trade tensions between the two giant economies and disputes over what the EU sees as China’s support for Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The EU is seeking to cut its reliance on China for strategic goods like rare earths while also rebalancing a trade relationship that sees it run a large deficit with the world’s second-largest economy.
In recent years, the two sides have clashed over Chinese electric-vehicle exports, which threaten Europe’s car industry and which Brussels argues are based on unfair subsidies, and Chinese tariffs on EU goods ranging from cheese to cognac.
Wang urged Germany and France to help “give a clear direction for the development of China-Europe relations.”
In a separate meeting with Wadephul — also on Friday — Wang touted economic and trade cooperation as “the cornerstone of China-Germany ties,” according to a foreign ministry readout.
Wang also met Britain’s foreign minister Yvette Cooper, telling her that Beijing and London should “explore more potential for cooperation,” while the two sides also discussed Ukraine and Iran.
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