Nicaragua Severs Diplomatic Relations With Taiwan And Pivots To China; Only 14 Countries Now Recognise Taiwan Officially

Nicaragua has re-established diplomatic relations with China, a day after it severed its ties with Taiwan.

The two countries have signed a joint communiqué to resume diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level , a spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced on Friday.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson hailed Nicaragua for making the right choice by committing to abide by the one-China principle.

"This is the right choice that is in line with the global trend and has people's support. China highly appreciates this decision. On the basis of the five principles of peaceful coexistence, China stands ready to work with Nicaragua on enhancing friendly cooperation in various fields to the benefit of our two countries and peoples," the joint communiqué read.

There are some countries that maintain "diplomatic relations" with the island of Taiwan due to the latter's "cash diplomacy" and pressure from the US, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said.

Only 14 countries now recognise Taiwan officially

"The Ortega-Murillo regime has announced it has severed diplomatic relations and ended official contact with Taiwan, but the sham election on November 7 did not provide it with any mandate to remove Nicaragua from the family of American democracies," US Department of State spokesperson Ned Price said in a statement on Thursday.

"Without the mandate that comes with a free and fair election, Ortega's actions cannot reflect the will of the Nicaraguan people, who continue to struggle for democracy and the ability to exercise their human rights and fundamental freedoms," he added.

Nicaragua's president Daniel Ortega has frequently faced accusation of running a despotic regime.