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The abrupt cancellation of diplomatic relations with Taiwan continues to generate controversy with the confiscation of the building where the island’s former embassy operated in Managua and which was transferred to China, with whom Nicaragua reestablished relations on December 9.
Old friends, new rivals. The Nicaraguan Government announced on Sunday, December 26, that all the assets that belonged to Taiwan, with whom it broke relations on December 9, pass “with absolute and unrestricted ownership of domain” from China, as a result of the establishment of relations with the giant. Asian.
The building where the Taiwanese diplomatic headquarters was located, located in one of the areas with the highest commercial value in Managua, had been donated to the Catholic Church after the abrupt cancellation of diplomatic operations.
The Office of the Attorney General of the Republic of Nicaragua issued a statement hours after the local press announced Taiwan’s donation of its assets to the Archdiocese of Managua.
“The recognition by a State, of the reality of only one China, as happened in the case of Nicaragua on December 9, 2021, implies the immediate registration of all real estate, personal property, equipment and means, in favor of the Recognized state, the People’s Republic of China, with absolute and unrestricted ownership of the domain ”.
The Government of Daniel Ortega maintains a dispute with the Catholic Church of Nicaragua after the humanitarian support provided by the institution to the victims of government repression of the 2018 demonstrations, which left more than 300 dead, according to human rights organizations. Ortega accuses the religious of promoting an alleged “coup” and supporting opposition groups.
“Any material donation is welcome. Now it is to put it to good use for the service of the people, ”Monsignor Carlos Avilés, vicar of the Archdiocese, had told the Nicaraguan newspaper La Prensa, an hour before the government announcement.
But Nicaragua not only handed over the goods from Taiwan in Managua to China, it also threatened the clergy with taking them to court if they dared to claim the donation. “Those entities that insist on illegitimate and illegal claims will be exposed to the corresponding courts and legal actions,” the government said.
“According to our legislation, there are no transactions, transfers, or transfers between these, supposed donations, whose intention only shows the illegal and voracious nature of those who seek, with maneuvers and subterfuges, to appropriate what is foreign,” added the Attorney General’s Office.
Taiwan denounces the “illegal occupation” of its former embassy.
The island reacted to Managua’s actions in a statement calling it a “dictatorial regime” and calling the transfer of its former assets to China “illegal occupation”. “The Government of Taiwan cannot accept and strongly protests the illegal occupation of its property and its illegal transfer to the People’s Republic of China,” says the statement from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan.
“Faced with the joint repression against democratic Taiwan and the Catholic Church, by the dictatorial regime of President Ortega and the totalitarian Government of China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterates that Taiwan has never been part of the People’s Republic of China and that the China’s Communist Party regime has no right to interfere in Taiwan’s foreign affairs or inherit Taiwan’s state property. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs urges the international community to jointly condemn such malicious actions by the Governments of Nicaragua and China, and requests that all sectors help the Catholic Church in Nicaragua to fight for their rights, so that the property of the former embassy can be registered and transferred to the Catholic Church in Nicaragua, “the statement added.
Taiwan reminded Managua of Article 45 of the Vienna Convention on Diplomatic Relations and the obligation of states to protect property and archives after breaking off relations. “After the termination of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Nicaragua on December 10, 2021, the Nicaraguan government is obliged to protect the facilities of the Embassy,” says the note.
According to Taiwan, “the Nicaraguan government violated international practice by requiring that all Taiwanese diplomats and personnel be removed from Nicaragua by December 23.” The island assured that “in these difficult circumstances and with the extreme lack of time, the Embassy of Taiwan, duly responsible for the handling of the goods of the Taiwanese government abroad, symbolically sold its office premises to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Managua in order to serve the public interest ”.
Nicaragua broke with Taiwan after 31 years of diplomatic relations, during which time the island became one of the most active donors to the Central American country. Hours after the surprise announcement of the cancellation of relations with Taiwan, Chinese television showed a Nicaraguan delegation led by two sons of Daniel Ortega signing new agreements with China.
After breaking off relations, the Nicaraguan government nationalized the former Taiwanese ambassador in Managua Chin Mu-Wu, along with his wife. The publication in the Gaceta, the official newspaper, argued the decision in the contribution that the diplomat gave to the social, economic and educational development of the country during the fourteen years that he remained in Nicaragua.
Nicaragua maintained relations with China between 1985 and 1990 during the first term of Daniel Ortega, who, according to experts, seeks to align himself with communist China and Russia after international isolation and the sanctions imposed by various governments and international organizations that accuse him of keeping people in prison. more than 160 dissidents, confiscate several NGOs that criticized his management and be reelected in a presidential election without international observation or guarantees.
With EFE
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