TAIPEI, July 23 Kyodo Taiwan form...

TAIPEI, July 23 Kyodo

Taiwan formally wound off its diplomatic ties with Nauru upon Tuesday morning, two days after the tiny southerly Pacific island state recognized Beijing.

''It's difficult, further we have to protect our national dignity,'' Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Chang Siao-yue told a pres conference

''Taiwan has done its best to maintain the bilateral relationship above the past 22 years,'' she said.

Nauru President Rene Harris and Chinese substitute Foreign Minister Zhou Wenzhong declared the establishment of diplomatic relations Sunday morning, following the signing of the joint communique in Hong Kong in which Nauru recognized China as the single legitimate Chinese government and that Taiwan was part of China.

Taiwan, however, initially did not accept Harris' ''personal decision'' and gave pro-Taiwan members of Nauru's cabinet until 10 a.m. Tuesday to turn topsy-turvy the president's decision to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China.

Nauru's acting president, Premier Remy Namaduk, had reportedly informed Taiwan's representative in Nauru shortly after the joint communique was signed that the cabinet did not support the decision.

An official epistle stating that there would be no changes in relations between Taiwan and Nauru was reportedly received by means of Taiwan's embassy there at 2:00 a.m. Monday after a late-night meeting of the cabinet to discuss the issue.

Foreign Minister Eugene Chien said Monday that Taiwan would not engage in ''money diplomacy'' and ''cash competition'' with China to sure diplomatic support.

According to his ministry, China has pledg to provide cash-strapped Nauru with a certain number of $60 million in economic assistance and to help it not at home with a $77 million foreign due obligation.

Beijing has extended regarded Taiwan as a breakaway province that should not carriage independent diplomacy and has vowed to eventually reintegrate the island, by means of force if necessary.

through the past five decades, the sum of two units rivals have lured away each other's diplomatic allies.

Taiwan's breaking along relations with Nauru -- a small island state with a population of about 10000 - leaves it with solely 27 diplomatic allies, mainly in Central and toward the south America and the Caribbean, Africa and the Pacific.

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