NPR

Panama Cuts Ties With Taiwan, Opts To Support China Instead

Panama has officially established diplomatic relations with China and will exchange ambassadors. The shift is a major win for China as it seeks to isolate Taiwan.
Panama's minister of foreign affairs, Isabel de Saint Malo de Alvarado, shakes hands with China's foreign minister, Wang Yi, during a joint press briefing Tuesday in Beijing.

Panama has announced that it is cutting ties with Taiwan and instead establishing relations with China. The shift is a major win for China as it seeks to isolate Taiwan, which now has diplomatic relations with just 20 countries.

China and Panama announced the move, saying it was in the "interest and wishes of both peoples." The two countries agreed to exchange ambassadors.

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