Nicaragua’s Foreign Minister Denis Moncada at a press conference in Managua on November 19, 2021
Image: AFP
China’s advance in Latin America continues. After Panama, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua is now also switching to Beijing’s side. Taiwan is an “inalienable part of China,” said Foreign Minister Moncada.
Nicaragua has broken off diplomatic relations with Taiwan and now recognizes the People’s Republic of China. Foreign Minister Denis Moncada said on Thursday: “The People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory”. After decades of pressure from Beijing, only 14 countries officially recognize Taiwan as a state.
Nicaragua’s declaration follows Beijing’s line that the island of Taiwan is a breakaway province. China is striving for reunification with the mainland, if necessary by force. At the same time, Beijing is trying to isolate Taiwan internationally. In Latin America, China has recently had some success: Panama, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic have switched sides in recent years.
The situation is different in Eastern Europe: when EU member Lithuania, for example, recently allowed the opening of a Taiwanese diplomatic mission under the name “Taiwan”, Beijing imposed import bans and downgraded diplomatic relations with the country. Usually the diplomatic offices have names like “Taipei Representation” – this is also the case in Germany. The Czech Republic and Slovakia have also recently moved closer to Taipei despite China’s protests.
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