Asia-Pacific News
Taiwan resumes diplomatic ties with St Lucia
By DPA
Apr 25, 2007, 15:07 GMT

Taipei - Taiwan on Wednesday resumed diplomatic ties with St Lucia, scoring a small victory in its diplomatic war with China.

Premier Su Tseng-chang, while campaigning for his bid to join the 2008 presidential election, told a mass rally in Chungli City that St Lucia became Taiwan's ally on Wednesday.

'I have a good news to tell you. That is St Lucia will become our 25th diplomatic ally tonight,' he said.

But Taiwan's Foreign Ministry has yet to make a formal announcement regarding Taiwan and St Lucia's restoring ties.

St Lucia, an island state in the Caribbean, opened diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1984 but cut them in order to recognize China in 1979.

Some 170 countries recognize China, or the People's Republic of China (PRC), and see Taiwan, officially known as the Republic of China (ROC), as its breakaway province.

While Taiwan accepts the dual recognition of both Taipei and Beijing by foreign countries, China upholds a 'one-China' policy and cuts ties with any countries that recognize Taipei.