Taiwan loses ally Nauru to China in post-election ploy
Nauru says it will "no longer develop any official relations or official exchanges with Taiwan". Photo: AP
Taiwan has lost one of its few remaining diplomatic allies Nauru to China, just days after it elected a new president, and accused China of attempting to pressure it while it affirmed the will of Taiwanese to go out into the world.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taiwan strongly disputes, and the two have for years traded accusations of using âdollar diplomacyâ as they compete for diplomatic recognition.
Taiwan security officials told Reuters before Saturdayâs election that China was likely to continue to whittle away at the handful of countries â now down to a dozen â that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taipei.
Lai Ching-te, repeatedly criticised by China before the poll as a dangerous separatist, won the election for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party and will take office on May 20.
The government of the tiny Pacific Island nation of Nauru said that âin the best interestsâ of the country and its people it was seeking full resumption of diplomatic relations with China and would cut ties with Taiwan.
Nauru has recognised China before, between 2002 and 2005.
China and the United States have in recent years stepped up their competition for influence in the Pacific.
In 2019, Kiribati and the Solomon Islands both ditched Taiwan for China in the space of a week.
The US affirmed that its commitment to Taiwan is ârock solidâ after Saturdayâs election, in comments delivered by former US national security adviser Stephen Hadley on Monday during a trip to the island.
Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Tien Chung-kwang told a hastily arranged media briefing after Nauruâs announcement on Monday that the news had come suddenly.
Beijing specifically chose the sensitive timing after the election to target Nauru, Tien said, calling the move âambush-likeâ and equivalent to âa blatant attack on democracyâ, just as many countries were offering congratulations to Taiwan on the smooth voting process.
âTaiwan did not bow to the pressure. We elected what we want to elect. Thatâs unbearable for them,â he said.
China had offered Nauru, with a population of 12,500, money far in excess of what Taiwan provided its allies, Tien said.
âOnce again, it proves that Chinaâs trying everything they can â money diplomacy â to repress us,â he said.
A senior Taiwan official briefed on the matter, speaking on condition of anonymity as they were not authorised to speak to the media, said Beijing was offering Nauru $US100 million ($150 million) a year.
A Nauru government representative declined to comment.
Chinaâs foreign ministry said it appreciated and welcomed Nauruâs decision, but did not directly answer a question on how much money it offered.
âNauru, as a sovereign state, has made the right choice to resume diplomatic relations with China independently,â ministry spokesperson Mao Ning said in Beijing.
Taiwanâs presidential office said Beijingâs move amounted to suppression of the islandâs diplomatic space but could not undermine the will of the Taiwanese people to go to the world, nor could it change the fact that Taiwan and China are not subordinate to each other.
Taiwanâs 12 remaining diplomatic allies include the Vatican, Guatemala and Paraguay, plus Palau, Tuvalu and the Marshall Islands in the Pacific.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu is in Guatemala attending the inauguration of its new president.
Nauru uses Australian currency and generates revenue from fishing licences and hosting a regional processing centre for refugees for the Australian government.
An Australian bank providing the countryâs only banking service announced in December its plan to close its Nauruan operation.
Australia provides policing support and is a major aid donor, contributing $46 million in development assistance in 2023.
The refugee processing centre was forecast to generate $160 million in 2024, although Australia plans to wind it down over time.
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