Taiwan said on Friday it has cut official ties with the Pacific island nation of Kiribati, losing another ally amid Chinese pressure on the nations that have diplomatic relations with the self-ruled island.
China claims Taiwan as its territory, and says the democratic island has no right to formal ties with any country.
Taiwan Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told reporters that Taipei has terminated diplomatic ties with Kiribati and will immediately close down its embassy there, days after the Solomon Islands cut off ties with Taipei.
Kiribati is the seventh country Taiwan will lose as a diplomatic ally since President Tsai Ing-wen came to office in 2016, following Burkina Faso, the Dominican Republic, Sao Tome and Principe, Panama, El Salvador and the Solomon Islands.
Taiwan now has formal relations with only 15 countries worldwide.
China's foreign ministry said it highly appreciates the decision of the Pacific Island nation of Kiribati to re-establish ties with Beijing.
Foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang made the comments at a regular press briefing Friday.
A senior Taiwan government official said on Friday that the Pacific island nation of Kiribati is considering switching diplomatic relations to China from Taiwan, amid Chinese pressure on the remaining nations with ties to the self-ruled island.
