CNN
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Nauru's government said in a statement on Monday that it had severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan and established ties with China, in a blow to Taiwan's efforts to retain a dwindling number of diplomatic allies.

Taiwan also confirmed the severing of diplomatic ties at a news conference on Monday, two days after Taiwanese voters for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party gave their votes. Historic third term.

The election saw Lai Ching-te, the current vice president of the Democratic Progressive Party and a staunch defender of Taiwan's sovereignty, elected president-elect. Lai and his deputy, former Taiwan envoy to the United States Hsiao Pei-chim, are openly hated by Chinese officials.

China's ruling Communist Party considers Taiwan its own territory, even though it has never controlled it, and has intensified diplomatic pressure on Taipei in recent years by poaching its allies.

During the eight years the Democratic Progressive Party spent in power, Taiwan lost ten diplomatic allies to China.

With Nora's diplomatic allegiance to Beijing, Taiwan has only 12 diplomatic allies, most of them from small countries in the Pacific and Latin America as well as the Vatican.

This is the second time that Nauru has severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The Pacific island nation first broke off relations in 2002, then resumed them in 2005.

This is a breaking news story, more to come.