BEIJING China is set to sign an agreement on Monday establishing diplomatic ties with former Taiwan ally Sao Tome and Principe, according to a banner in a state guesthouse in Beijing announcing the ceremony, a Reuters witness said.
Sao Tome and Principe Prime Minister Patrice Trovoada said on Thursday that breaking relations with Taiwan was the correct decision given China’s importance as a strategic partner and the need to improve the lives of Sao Tomeans.
Taiwan, which China considers a breakaway province ineligible for state-to-state relations, had as many as 30 diplomatic allies in the mid-1990s, but now has formal relations with just 21, mostly smaller and poorer nations in Latin America and the Pacific.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Writing by Ryan Woo; Editing by Nick Macfie)
