Nicaragua-Taiwan Ties
Still Strong: Ambassador
MANAGUA - Nicaragua
remains a close ally of
Taiwan and all rumors of
the country’s attempt to
switch recognition to
Beijing are false,
Nicaraguan Ambassador to
Taipei William Tapia
said yesterday.
Tapia was responding to
a comment made by Edward
Chen, a professor at the
Graduate Institute of
American Studies of
Tamkang Univeristy. At a
forum last Thursday,
Chen said Nicaragua was
one of six Latin
American countries that
had been rejected by
Beijing when they
offered to switch their
allegiance.
“After President Ma
Ying-jeou assumed office
in May, there were at
least five or six
countries in Central and
South America alone,
such as Paraguay, Haiti,
Nicaragua ... intending
to establish ties with
China, but they were all
rejected by Beijing,”
Chen said at the forum,
which focused on the
effects of the
“diplomatic truce”
policy on Taiwan’s
relations with Beijing.
Tapia denied the
allegation, saying
Managua had never made
such an offer to Beijing
and that it remained a
stalwart ally to Taipei.
“We are very grateful
[to] Taiwan for all it
has done for us. Taiwan
has come to our aid at
the time we needed it
the most,” he said.
Tapia read an official
statement from his
government, which stated
that “the international
relations of the
Republic of Nicaragua do
not rely upon conditions
of any kind but are
based upon
self-determination.”
“Nicaraguan President
Daniel Ortega has shown
a cordial and firm
relationship with Taiwan
and there are no signs
that could show a change
in the near future,”
Tapia said.
Ortega, of the leftist
Sandinista government,
had said on several
occasions during his
campaign for president
that Nicaragua was open
to making friends with
all nations, including
China.
During Ortega’s first
term in office in 1985,
Managua broke ties with
Taipei to forge
relations with China.
The relationship lasted
six years until former
president Violeta
Chamorro again
recognized Taiwan after
defeating Ortega in
1990.
Tapia said Ortega had
been unable to attend
Ma’s inauguration
because he was occupied
with domestic affairs,
but that he wished to
visit Taiwan sometime
during his presidency.
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