Foreign Minister Denis Moncada Colindres announced on Thursday afternoon that the Nicaraguan Government broke diplomatic relations with Taiwan, one of its main cooperators in the last three years. At the same time, it recognized the People’s Republic of China as “Only legitimate government”.
“The Government of the Republic of Nicaragua declares that it recognizes that there is only one China in the world. The People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate Government representing all of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory“Moncada read.
“The Government of the Republic of Nicaragua breaks diplomatic relations with Taiwan as of today and stop having any contact or official relationship“Added the head of Nicaraguan diplomacy.
The territory of Taiwan is considered by China as a rebel province since 1949, after the triumph of the communists led by Mao Zedong.
This is the second time that a government of Daniel Ortega breaks diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The first time was in 1985, when, due to ideological affinities, the FSLN recognized as “Only legitimate government” to the People’s Republic. Nicaragua resumed relations with Taiwan in 1990, under the administration of Violeta Barrios de Chamorro, who that year defeated the Sandinista leader at the polls.
An important partner
According to the Official External Cooperation Report (ICOE 2020), of the Central Bank of Nicaragua (BCN), Taiwan was the most generous of donors bilateral to the public sector in the past year, delivering 27.9 million dollars (45.1% of the USD61.8 million received by the public sector), to which are added 0.1 million donated to the private sector (the report does not indicate to whom or what for), bringing the island’s contribution to a total of 28 million donated in 2020.
Also, between January and September of this year, Nicaraguan exports to Taiwan amounted to USD 66.3 million and in the area of imports, the country bought merchandise for USD 24.4 million from Taiwan, according to official data published on the BCN website .
In recent years, the Ortega regime has promoted a rapprochement with Chinese businessmen, such as Wang Jing, to whom it granted a concession to build an interoceanic canal through Nicaragua.
Nicaragua, one of the three poorest countries in America, made the decision to recognize China at a time when the Organization of American States (OAS) is analyzing suspending the Central American country from the body for “breaking the constitutional order” and after having renounced to belong to it, a decision that will take effect in November 2023.
Decorated Ambassador
Recently, Taiwan was one of the partner countries of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) that voted against the inauguration of the CABEI building in Managua.
On November 12, the Mayor’s Office of Managua declared a distinguished guest and handed over the keys to the city to the ambassador of Taiwan in Nicaragua, Jaime Chin-Mu Wu and his wife Cindy Wu, at the end of their diplomatic mission in the country.
On November 15, Foreign Minister Moncada Colindres awarded the order José de Marcoleta in Degree of Grand Cross, to Ambassador Chin-Mu Wu.
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