Nicaragua resumes ties with China, breaks with Taiwan

BEIJING • China and Nicaragua reestablished diplomatic ties yesterday after the Central American country broke relations with Taiwan, in a move that boosted Beijing in a part of the world long considered the US’ backyard and angered Washington.

China’s Foreign Ministry, announcing the decision after meeting 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. China regards Taiwan as a renegade province to be reunified, by force if necessary.

The move follows months of worsening ties between Mr Ortega and Washington, and came on the day the US State Department said it had applied sanctions on Mr Nestor Moncada Lau, a national security adviser to Mr Ortega, alleging he operates an import and customs fraud scheme to enrich members of Mr Ortega’s government.

The US State Department said Nicaragua’s decision did not reflect the will of the Nicaraguan people because its government was not freely elected.