Taiwan has lost another diplomatic ally to China just days after its presidential election in what Taipei said was both sudden and designed by Beijing to suppress the island’s “democratic achievements.”
The Pacific Island nation of Nauru on Monday announced it had severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan and established ties with China, a decision confirmed by Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry.
The move is the latest blow to Taiwan’s efforts to retain its dwindling number of diplomatic allies, and comes just two days after Taiwan’s voters defied China’s threats to elect a new president loathed by Beijing.
Disappointing, but hardly surprising, given how much pressure China has been putting on small Pacific nations over the past few years. The timing makes it even more clear than it would have otherwise been that this isn’t a decision made because anyone involved thinks it’s the right one, but out of shallow political games.