Nauru to open embassy in Taiwan in March


dpa German Press Agency
Published: Tuesday February 6, 2007

Taipei- Nauru, one of the world's smallest nations, will
open an embassy in Taipei in March, completing its normalization of
ties with Taiwan in exchange for financial aid, an official announced
Tuesday.
"Nauru will open its embassy in Taipei in March. Ambassador Ludwig
D. Keke has arrived in Taipei," Lee Chuan-tong, head of the Foreign
Ministry's department of East Asia and Pacific Affairs, told a news
conference.

"Since the resumption of ties between our two countries, our
bilateral ties have been smooth. The opening of the Nauruan embassy
will make our ties even better," he said.

Lee said Nauruan President Ludwig Scotty is visiting Taiwan. He
will sign a memorandum of understanding on labour cooperation.

Nauru, with 12,800 residents who live on a coral reef spread over
21.3 square kilometres, is one of the world's smallest nations, and
now one of just 24 countries that recognize Taiwan - most of them
small as well.

Once one of the world's richest nations per capita owing to
phosphate exports, Nauru is financially strapped as the supply
of phosphate is running out, and Taiwan's aid is the main reason for
Nauru to restore ties with Taipei.

Last year, Taiwan gave Nauru 10 million dollars to help the tiny
Pacific island state retrieve a Boeing passenger jet and resume
its only air link with the outside world.

Taiwan and China have been fighting a diplomatic battle to win
over each other's allies, and accuse each other of using dollar
diplomacy to win diplomatic recognition from small countries.

Some small and poor countries have switched back and forth between
Taipei and Beijing several times, depending on which gave more aid.

In the past six years, China has won over seven of Taiwan's
diplomatic allies - Macedonia (2001), Nauru (2002, but resumed ties
with Taipei in 2005), Liberia (2003), Dominica (2004), Grenada
(2005), Senegal (2005) and Chad (2006).

© 2006 - dpa German Press Agency