China established diplomatic relations with the tiny Pacific Island nation of Nauru yesterday in another victory for Beijing's efforts to isolate Taipei.
Assistant Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong and Nauru President Rene Harris signed a joint communique in Hong Kong .
China and Nauru chose Hong Kong as the venue of the ceremony because both sides considered it a more 'convenient place', said Jiang Yu, spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry's office in Hong Kong. It is the first time China has established diplomatic relations with a foreign country in Hong Kong.
According to Xinhua, Nauru, a 21-square-km nation, declared it was cutting all official ties with Taiwan as of yesterday.
China demands all its diplomatic allies sever all official links with Taiwan and acknowledge its claim of sovereignty over the island.
'Both China and Nauru are developing countries and they share identical points in many fields,' said Foreign Ministry spokesman Kong Quan, quoted by Xinhua.