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This is not the first time that Nauru authorities have severed relations with Taiwan.
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One of the few states that officially recognized Taiwan’s independence, the island of Nauru, broke ties with it in favor of Beijing just days after a new president was elected in Taipei.
A tiny Micronesian island in the western Pacific Ocean, Nauru was among 12 states that still maintained diplomatic relations with Taipei.
Beijing, which insists Taiwan is part of China, is actively poaching its diplomatic allies.
Many then saw selfish motives in Nauru’s position. The Russian Foreign Ministry later actually reported on the allocation of financial assistance to this country.
Voters cast a majority of votes for candidate William Lai, who advocates for Taiwanese sovereignty. Beijing has labeled Lai a “troublemaker” due to his past statements supporting Taiwanese independence, which Chinese authorities say constituted a “red line.”
“Timing [для подобных действий] demonstrates not only Chinese retaliation against our democratic elections, but also a direct challenge to the international order,” Taiwan officials said after the Nauru government announced it would “no longer recognize Taiwan as a separate country, but rather as an integral part of Chinese territory.” “
At a press conference on Monday, Taiwanese Vice Foreign Minister Tien Chung Kwan accused China of taking advantage of recent “political fluctuations” in Nauru to “buy out” the country with financial support.
“China thinks it can suppress Taiwan with these methods, but I think it is wrong. The world has noticed Taiwan’s democratic development. If [Пекин] will continue to use such vile methods to hijack Taiwan’s diplomatic relations, democratic countries around the world will not recognize them,” said Tien Chun Kwan.
He said Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry is “on high alert” to counter further Chinese attempts to isolate Taiwan internationally.
image copyrightGREG BAKER/AFP
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Chinese authorities view Taiwan as a breakaway province that will eventually return to Beijing’s control.
China, which views the island of 23 million as a breakaway province that will eventually return to Beijing’s control, welcomed Nauru’s decision.
“The Nauru government’s decision to resume diplomatic relations with China once again demonstrates that the ‘one China’ principle is the will of the people and the spirit of the times,” the Chinese Foreign Ministry said.
Both Beijing and Taipei (although they have emphasized this position less recently) declare that there is only one Chinese state, including both the island of Taiwan and the mainland. Both sides proclaim themselves to be the only legitimate authority in this state. In recent years, there has been a growing movement in Taiwanese society to declare Taiwan a country separate from China and not claiming its territory, but Beijing considers this position even more unacceptable than the previous one.
This is not the first time Nauru has severed ties with Taiwan. The island nation made a similar diplomatic switch to China in 2002 and restored relations with Taiwan again in May 2005.
According to analysts, the new break in diplomatic relations did not come as a surprise.
image copyrightAn Rong Xu/Bloomberg
Photo caption,
In the last election, voters cast a majority of votes for candidate William Lai, who advocates for Taiwanese sovereignty.
“The possibility of Nauru changing recognition from Taiwan to China has been around for a long time,” says Anna Powles, an associate professor of security studies at New Zealand’s Massey University.
Poles said the speed with which Australia late last year pushed for a treaty granting climate refuge to Tuvaluans reflected concerns that Tuvalu – another Pacific nation – was “under pressure to shift its recognition in favor of China”.
Tuvalu still maintains diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
“These concerns are now spreading to Nauru,” she said.
“China always seeks to undermine Taiwan’s influence, especially in the Pacific region, where many small states are seeking development,” said Mihai Sora, a fellow at the Lowy Institute’s Pacific Islands Program.
“As Taiwan has fewer diplomatic allies around the world, each of them becomes increasingly important in its claims [Тайбэя] to sovereignty,” Sora added. “It is quite possible that China will continue to seek opportunities to undermine these positions.”
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2024-01-15 19:56:18
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