BEIJING/TAIPEI (Reuters) -
China and Nicaragua re-established diplomatic ties on Friday after the Central American country broke relations with Chinese-claimed Taiwan, boosting Beijing in a part of the world long considered the United States’ backyard and angering Washington.
China’s Foreign Ministry, announcing the decision after meetings with Nicaragua’s finance minister and two of President Daniel Ortega’s sons in the northern Chinese city of Tianjin, said the country had made the “correct choice”.
The break with Taiwan shrinks the island’s dwindling pool of international allies and is a blow to the United States.
It follows months of worsening ties between Ortega and Washington, and came on the day the U.S. State Department said it had applied sanctions on Nestor Moncada Lau, a national security adviser to Ortega, alleging he operates an import and customs fraud scheme to enrich members of Ortega’s government.
The U.S. State Department said Nicaragua’s decision did not reflect the will of the Nicaraguan people because its government was not freely elected.
Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi said Taiwan’s allies - now only 14 countries - have stayed with Taipei only because of pressure from the United States and Taiwan’s “dollar diplomacy”, accusations Taipei denies.
China’s Foreign Ministry, asked if China would give financial aid to Nicaragua, said the resumption in ties was a “political decision, definitely not a bargaining chip”.
Taiwan’s government said it was unbowed by Nicaragua’s decision.