BEIJING: China and Nauru on Wednesday opened a new chapter in relations as the two countries reestablished diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level, according to Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi.
Wang, also a member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee, made the remarks during talks with Nauru’s Minister for Foreign Affairs and Trade Lionel Aingimea in Beijing.
“Today, the China-Nauru ties have opened a new chapter,” said Wang.
During the talks, the two sides signed a joint communique, which said that the Government of the Republic of Nauru shall sever “diplomatic relations” with Taiwan region as of this day and undertakes that it shall no longer develop any official relations or official exchanges with Taiwan.
This communique makes Nauru the 183rd country to have diplomatic ties with China.
When meeting the press alongside Aingimea, Wang said that although China and Nauru are geographically separated by oceans, the friendship between the two peoples has a long history. As developing countries, both sides are faced with the common tasks of developing economy, improving people’s livelihood and realizing modernization.
As members of the Global South, the two sides share the same will to safeguard their own sovereignty and independence, safeguard the common interests of developing countries, and promote an equal and orderly multi-polar world and economic globalization that benefits all. This is the fundamental logic that has brought the two countries closer to each other and will certainly bring broad prospects for cooperation, he said.
Wang stressed that the resumption of diplomatic ties between China and Nauru once again shows to the world that adherence to the one-China principle is an irresistible historical trend.
Wang pointed out that there are still a very few countries that maintain so-called “diplomatic relations” with Taiwan for various reasons, which not only goes against the interests of their own countries and their people, but also violates the UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 and infringes on China’s national sovereignty. Such practices should be corrected sooner or later.
China urges these countries to recognize the trend of the times, said Wang, adding that China is ready to open a new chapter in its relations with these countries on the basis of the one-China principle.
Aingimea said that the Nauruan government announced that it would completely sever “diplomatic relations” with the Taiwan region and seek to restore diplomatic relations with China, which won unanimous approval from the country’s parliament, with all parliamentary members expressing support. This fully proves that the decision is correct, popular and in line with the fundamental interests of Nauru, he added.
Nauru will adhere to the one-China principle and give priority to it in its foreign policy, Aingimea said.
China has won the hearts of the people of Nauru with its words and deeds, he said, noting that the resumption of diplomatic ties will further promote the friendship between the two countries.
Nauru is willing to take this day as a new starting point to enhance mutual trust, carry out comprehensive cooperation and establish and develop a strong partnership with China, Aingimea added.
