TAIPEI (Pacnews) — Nauru, one of the world’s smallest nations, will open an embassy in Taipei in March, completing its normalization of diplomatic ties with Taiwan in exchange for financial aid.
“Nauru will open its embassy in Taipei in March. Ambassador Ludwig D. Keke has arrived in Taipei,” Lee Chuan-tong, head of the Foreign Ministry’s department of East Asia and Pacific affairs, told a news conference.
“Since the resumption of ties between our two countries, our bilateral ties have been smooth. The opening of the Nauruan embassy will make our ties even better,” he said.
Lee said Nauruan President Ludwig Scotty is visiting Taiwan to sign a memorandum of understanding on labor cooperation.
Nauru, with 12,800 residents who live on a coral reef spread over 21.3 square kilometers in the Pacific, is now one of just 24 countries that recognize Taiwan
Once one of the world’s richest nations per capita owing to phosphate exports, Nauru is now financially strapped after its supply of phosphate ran out. Taiwan’s aid was the main reason for Nauru to restore ties with Taipei.
Last year, Taiwan gave Nauru $10 million to help the tiny Pacific island state retrieve a Boeing passenger jet and resume its only air link with the outside world.
Taiwan and China have been fighting a diplomatic battle to win over each other’s allies, and accuse each other of using dollar diplomacy to win diplomatic recognition from small countries.
Some small and poor countries have switched back and forth between Taipei and Beijing several times, depending on which gave more aid.