Nauru cuts diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of China

Nauru has become Taiwan's first ally to make a diplomatic switch to Beijing, just days after the island's presidential election.

Nauru's government said it would "no longer recognise [Taiwan] as a separate country but rather as an inalienable part of China's territory".

China has over the past years been poaching Taiwan's diplomatic allies.

Taiwan called the timing of the move "China's retaliation against our democratic elections".

Nauru's diplomatic switch leaves just 12 countries still keeping diplomatic ties with Taipei, including Guatemala, Paraguay and the Marshall Islands.

Taiwan's election over the weekend saw voters pick pro-sovereignty candidate William Lai as their next president - a move that angered Beijing.

Beijing has labelled Mr Lai a "troublemaker" over remarks he made in the past supporting Taiwanese independence, which it sees as a red line.

Taipei's deputy foreign minister Tien Chung-kwang confirmed that it has severed ties with the Pacific island nation, saying the move was "in order to uphold [Taiwan's] sovereignty and dignity".

"This timing is not only China's retaliation against our democratic elections but also a direct challenge to the international order," the ministry said in a post on X, formerly known as Twitter.

In a media conference on Monday, Mr Tien accused China of taking advantage of recent "political fluctuations" in Nauru to "buy over" the country with financial aid.

"China thinks it can suppress Taiwan with such methods, I think it is wrong. The world has noticed Taiwan's democratic development. If [Beijing] continues to use such despicable methods to seize Taiwan's diplomatic relations, democratic countries all over the world will not recognise it," Mr Tien said.

Still, his ministry