Taipei.– Taiwan said Sunday that its diplomatic ties with Paraguay and the Dominican Republic are firm, despite calls for the governments of the two countries to recognize China.
Foreign Minister Francisco Ou made the remark to the Central News Agency (CNA), after visiting Paraguay and the Dominican Republic to strengthen ties. The two nations are among the 23 mostly small countries that recognize Taiwan.
Ou said that he visited the two countries because after President Ma Ying-jeou had visited in August 2008, "some people in these countries continued to urge their governments to recognize China," according to the news agency.
Taiwan lost most of its diplomatic allies after it was expelled from the United Nations in 1971, as many countries dropped Taiwan to recognize China. Since then, Taipei and Beijing have been fighting a fierce diplomatic battle to win over each other's allies.
