Costa Rica Plans to Drop Taiwan to Recognize China
Taipei - Costa Rica, one of the 25 nations recognizing Taiwan, plans to cut ties with Taiwan to recognize China and may announce the decision in the next few days, a Chinese newspaper said on Wednesday.

The China Times said Costa Rica has been warming to China for a long time and recently its diplomatic contacts with China have been frequent.

'The countdown has begun for the six-decade-old diplomatic relationship between Taiwan and Costa Rica,' the daily said.

The paper said that the Taiwanese embassy in Costa Rica alerted Taiwan's Foreign Ministry Tuesday that Costa Rica 's high-level diplomatic contacts with China 'are in the mature stage.'

The paper said Taiwan is trying its best to save ties but if the situation cannot be reversed, Taipei does not rule out cutting ties with Costa Rica first.

According to the China Times, Costa Rica's normalization of ties with China began in May 2006 when Oscar Arias was re-elected for a second term and said Costa Rica would evaluate its China policy in its national interests.

In September 2006, Arias met with Chinese Foreign Minister Li Zhaoxing on the sidelines of the United National General Assembly in New York.

On May 14, at the 60th World Health Assembly, Costa Rica voted against World Health Organization membership for Taiwan, raising another alarm signal for bilateral ties.

China has stepped up the effort to woo Costa Rica to avenge Taiwan's resuming diplomatic ties with the tiny Caribbean island state St Lucia, according to the China Times.

The paper quoted unnamed Chinese diplomats as saying that China was so angry about losing St Lucia to Taiwan that it has vowed to 'trade small for big' - meaning it would win over a big diplomatic ally of Taiwan.

Taiwan and China split in 1949 after the Chinese Nationalist lost the Chinese Civil War and fled to Taiwan to set up their government-in-exile.

Currently only 25 mostly-small countries recognize Taiwan, formally called the Republic of China (ROC). Some 169 countries recognize China and see Taiwan as China's breakaway province.

Taiwan diplomats said that Costa Rica is considering switching alliances to win China's backing for a seat as a non-permanent member of the United Nations and to get aid from China.