With the "severance of diplomatic relations" between Nauru and the Taiwan authorities, there are now only 12 "countries with diplomatic relations" with Taiwan. Before Nauru, in recent years, nine other countries have "severed diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities, namely Sao Tome and Principe in 2016, Panama in 2017, El Salvador in 2018, Dominica, Burkina Faso, El Salvador, Kiribati in 2019, Solomon Islands, Nicaragua in 2021, and Honduras in 2023. So why are there fewer and fewer countries with which Taiwan has "diplomatic relations"?
First, Taiwan is part of China. Taiwan is a provincial-level administrative region in China, the provincial capital is Taipei, and compatriots on both sides of the Taiwan Strait share the same roots, the same culture, and the same species. Taiwan Province has a population of about 23.4 million, and its ancestors came from the mainland.
China's earliest operation of Taiwan began during the Three Kingdoms period, when Soochow sent 10,000 soldiers and civilians to Taiwan to reclaim the land. The world's earliest record of Taiwan's customs and customs is from the "Linhai Soil Chronicles" written by Shen Ying, a general of Soochow at that time.
Shen Ying was one of the generals of Soochow who went to Taiwan to reclaim the land, and he visited many areas of the island at that time, recording the natural environment of the island, such as topography and climate. It left first-hand geographical information for the mainland to operate Taiwan in the future.
Since then, residents in the coastal areas of the mainland have migrated to Taiwan Island, especially in the late Ming and early Qing dynasties, when a large number of coastal residents moved to Penghu and Taiwan. During the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China, it was also the peak of the migration of mainland residents to Taiwan. Most of the ancestors of the current Taiwanese migrated to Taiwan from the mainland during the Qing Dynasty and the Republic of China.
From these histories, it can be seen that Taiwan has been a part of China since ancient times. This has also been internationally recognized. In the Cairo Declaration of 1943, China, the United States and Britain jointly declared that the Northeast region, Taiwan Island and Penghu Islands occupied by Japan must be returned to China.
In 1945, the Potsdam Proclamation signed by China, the United States and Britain reaffirmed the content of the Cairo Declaration. It can be seen that Taiwan is part of China's territory, which has been confirmed by international treaties.
In 1971, Algeria, Albania and other countries initiated a motion at the United Nations, advocating the restoration of the mainland's lawful seat in the United Nations. On October 25, 1971, the United Nations General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758, which formally restored the mainland's lawful seat in the United Nations and expelled Taiwan from the United Nations. This also shows that Taiwan is part of China and has been recognized by the United Nations.
It can be seen that Taiwan is China's territory and has a sufficient historical and legal basis. Taiwan is a sacred and inalienable part of China's territory, and the great cause of China's reunification is bound to be accomplished. Therefore, as far as Taiwan's "countries with diplomatic relations" are concerned, it is better to act now than to establish diplomatic relations after reunification.
Second, China's development. The mainland is a country with a vast territory and a large population. During the Han and Tang dynasties, China was one of the world's major powers, with prosperous culture and strong strength, and neighboring countries learned from China, such as Japan in the East, which also sent envoys to the Tang Dynasty to learn Chinese culture.
But by the time of the Qing Dynasty, China gradually lagged behind the world, and after the Opium War, China was constantly invaded by foreign powers. Japan, which had learned from the Tang Dynasty, rose to prominence through the Meiji Restoration. After the rise of Japan, it continued to invade China, and after the First Sino-Japanese War, Japan invaded and occupied Taiwan and carried out long-term colonial rule over Taiwan.
After the founding of the People's Republic of China, the mainland has continued to develop, and now it has become the world's second largest economy and continues to contribute to the development of the world economy. The mainland and most countries in the world have friendly exchanges, and they treat both large and small countries equally. In the economic field, the mainland's economic influence has far surpassed that of Taiwan.
Taking these two factors into account, the "severance of diplomatic relations" between these countries and Taiwan is a correct choice that conforms to the general interests of the international community and the trend of the times, and is the desire of the people and the trend of the times. As a result, there are fewer and fewer countries with which Taiwan has "diplomatic relations."