Nicaragua has chosen China and has cut ties with Taiwan.

Nicaragua is the most recent country to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China.

Nicaragua had “disregarded [their] many years of friendship,” Taiwan stated, adding that it was “very disappointed.”

The decision was enthusiastically hailed by China, which demands that any country seeking diplomatic relations with it cut ties with Taipei first.

The announcement comes after the US State Department urged for democracies to “increase interaction with Taiwan” on Friday.

Taiwan is viewed by Beijing as a breakaway colony that will one day be reunited with the mainland. Taiwan, on the other hand, perceives itself as a democratically run, independent nation, despite the fact that it has never legally proclaimed independence from the mainland.

Since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in May 2016, Taiwan’s list of international friends has shrunk from 21 to 14.

Nicaragua’s foreign ministry stated, “Today, Nicaragua terminates diplomatic relations with Taiwan and ceases to have any communication or official interaction,” adding that it “recognizes that there is only one China.”
Hua Chunying, a spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, commended Nicaragua’s decision, calling it the “correct choice… in step with the global trend” that “has people’s backing.”

The decision was criticized by the US State Department, which claimed it did not reflect the desire of the Nicaraguan people because the administration was not democratically elected.

Following allegations that some presidential candidates had been imprisoned, some observers have criticized the Nicaraguan elections as lacking democratic legitimacy.

“[Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega’s] actions cannot reflect the desire of the Nicaraguan people without the mandate that comes with a free and fair election,” stated Department Spokesperson Ned Price.

“All countries that appreciate democratic institutions,” Mr Price added, should “increase interaction with Taiwan.” His remarks come as the United States hosts a two-day Democracy Summit, to which Taiwan was invited but not mainland China.

In a statement, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it would continue to practice “pragmatic diplomacy” and that it had the “right to trade and build diplomatic relations with other countries.”

Kiribati and the Solomon Islands, both Pacific Island states, were the most recent countries to abandon ties with Taiwan in favor of China in 2019.

In November, China downgraded diplomatic ties with Lithuania, just days after the Baltic country permitted Taiwan to construct a de facto embassy there.