Taiwan Today
Date: January 13, 2017
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs protested and condemned Jan. 12 Nigeria’s announcement the previous
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly protests Nigeria’s statement that it would cease diplomatic relations with Taiwan. (MOFA)
day that it would no longer recognize Taiwan as a country and cease diplomatic relations, calling the move a politically motivated scheme intended to confuse the international community.
Nigeria’s foreign minister said in a joint news conference with his mainland Chinese counterpart in the West African nation’s capital, Abuja, that his government will sever ties with Taiwan in accordance with the “one China” principle. The Nigerian government also called for Taiwan to move its trade office from Abuja to the country’s largest city Lagos.
Noting that the two sides have never established formal diplomatic relations, the MOFA accused the West African nation of seeking to mislead the international community.
“The ministry strongly protests and condemns the Nigerian government’s cooperation with mainland China in carrying out a politically motivated, unreasonable, uncivil and ruthless scheme,” it said.
Taiwan and Nigeria inked a memorandum of understanding on establishing trade missions in each other’s countries in November 1990. The Trade Mission of the ROC (Taiwan) was set up in the then-Nigerian capital of Lagos in 1991, while Nigeria opened its trade mission in Taipei City the following year.
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