China opens embassy in Nicaragua for 1st time since 1990 after Taiwan ties cut

MANAGUA

: China opened an embassy in

Nicaragua

on Friday for the first time since 1990, acting just over three weeks since President Daniel Ortega's government broke off relations with

Taiwan

.


Foreign minister

Denis Moncada

said there is an "ideological affinity" between the two countries. Moncada also thanked China for donating one million doses of the Sinopharm Covid vaccine. Ortega established relations with China in 1985, but after he lost the presidential election in 1990, the government of Nicaragua's new president,

Violeta Chamorro

, recognised Taiwan.

The Nicaraguan government broke relations with the Taiwanese on Decemeber 9 and last week it seized the former embassy and diplomatic offices of Taiwan, saying they belong to China. However, China's new embassy is located elsewhere, and it is unclear what China will do with the Taiwan building. Before departing a week ago, Taiwanese diplomats attempted to donate the properties to the Roman Catholic archdiocese of Managua. But Ortega's government said that any such donation would be invalid and that the building in an upscale Managua neighbourhood belongs to China. Taiwan's foreign relations ministry condemned the "illegal actions of the Ortega regime". ap