Status: 15.01.2024, 10:40 a.m.
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Taiwan elected a new president and parliament on Saturday. © Ng Han Guan/AP/dpa
China promises economic cooperation to small states so that they change their Taiwan policy. Now Nauru is also changing sides. Meanwhile, a U.S. delegation is received from Beijing despite protests.
Taipei/Beijing - Shortly after the election in Taiwan, the East Asian island state has suffered a new setback for its international recognition. The small Pacific island of Nauru broke off diplomatic relations with Taipei and instead recognized Beijing and the one-China principle.
Taiwan will therefore immediately stop its cooperation, said Taiwanese Vice Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang in Taipei. "We demand that Nauru immediately close its embassy in Taiwan."
Nauru, which is located about 5600 kilometers southeast of Taiwan, is one of the smallest countries in the world. The tiny republic has only around 12,000 inhabitants. Nauru was considered extremely rich in the 1970s thanks to large deposits of phosphate. However, by the 1990s, the reserves had been exhausted - and the country was plunged into a deep crisis. Today, it is one of the poorest countries in the world.
Praise from China
China's government welcomed Nauru's rethink. The decision shows "that the one-China principle is in line with the will of the people and the trend of the times," the foreign ministry in Beijing said.
Taiwan's Vice Foreign Minister Tien, meanwhile, said China had lured Pacific island politicians into making the diplomatic switch by offering Beijing economic support. Taipei also sees the manoeuvre as an attack on Taiwan's democracy.
Only on Saturday, voters in the island republic with more than 23 million inhabitants elected Vice President William Lai (Lai Ching-te) of the Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) as the future president. In parliament, the party lost its absolute majority.
Lai stands for Taiwan's independence
Lai and the Progressive Party are a thorn in Beijing's side, as they stand for Taiwan independence. This is the third time the party has elected president - a record since 1996. China counts the island as part of its territory, although it has had an independent and democratically elected government for decades. As a result, tensions regularly arise in the strait between the great power and the island, which is important for global shipping.
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Referring to the so-called one-China principle, Beijing demands that other states do not maintain official exchanges with Taipei. Under Lai's predecessor Tsai Ing-wen, Taiwan has lost 2016 allies since <>, which instead established diplomatic relations with China.
After the break with Nauru, Taiwan is now recognized as a sovereign country by twelve states, including the Vatican. Nauru had already severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan in July 2002. In 2005, however, the island changed its mind again after China failed to keep its promises to support the country.
Support from Washington
Nevertheless, there was support for Taiwan from Washington immediately after the election: President Tsai Ing-wen, who is still in office, and her newly elected successor, Lai, received an unofficial delegation from the United States. The visit shortly after the vote was of "great importance," Tsai said in Taipei. This highlights the rock-solid partnership between the two countries.
The delegation with two former U.S. government officials, Stephen Hadley and James Steinberg, arrived in Taipei on Saturday. "We look forward to continuing the U.S.-Taiwan relationship under the new administration and working together to maintain peace and stability in the Taiwan Strait," said former U.S. National Security Advisor Hadley. The Communist Party in China had protested against the visit.
After the conversation with the president, the two Americans also met Lai and his number two, Hsiao Bi-khim, who used to work as Taiwan's envoy to the United States. Vice President Lai told the guests that he would continue to govern the country on the political basis established by Tsai. "We hope that the U.S. will continue to support Taiwan," the 64-year-old said.
China wants "reunification", if necessary by military means. In the Taiwan Strait between the two states, the People's Liberation Army has been sending fighter jets towards Taiwan almost daily for months. The situation is tense. The U.S. has pledged its assistance to Taiwan in the event of a conflict. Dpa