Ned Price, the spokesperson for the United States Department of State, condemned Nicaragua’s breaking of diplomatic relations with Taiwan on Thursday, while encouraging all democratic countries to expand engagement with Taiwan.

The move marks the second time the Central American country has severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the first time being in 1985. Both times were under the regime of Daniel Ortega, Nicaragua’s incumbent president.

In a statement issued right after Nicaragua’s announcement on Thursday afternoon, Price said Ortega’s actions cannot reflect the will of the Nicaraguan people due to the “sham election” on Nov. 7 that did not provide it with any mandate to remove Nicaragua from the family of American democracies.

Breaking diplomatic relations with Taiwan deprives Nicaragua’s people of a steadfast partner in its democratic and economic growth, Price added.

Price went on to stress Taiwan’s significance to Western countries, saying “Taiwan’s relationships with diplomatic partners in the Western Hemisphere provide significant economic and security benefits to the citizens of those countries.”

“We encourage all countries that value democratic institutions, transparency, the rule of law, and promoting economic prosperity for their citizens to expand engagement with Taiwan,” Price said.

Several members of the U.S. Congress also voiced support for Taiwan.

Republican Senator Rick Scott took to Twitter to condemn the Nicaraguan government.

“This is a shameful move by the evil Ortega regime. Communist China’s growing influence is a cancer in Latin America & poses danger to our entire hemisphere,” he wrote.

Scott then voiced his support for Taiwan, saying the U.S. must “oppose this intervention by standing with Taiwan.”

He was joined by several other Republican House Representatives, including Mark Green, Ken Buck, Pat Fallon and Lisa McClain.

Green expressed his disappointment at Nicaragua’s decision, stressing that China’s human rights violations against the Uyghur people and such, should not be tolerated.

Buck said he continued to support Taiwan and oppose the Chinese Communist Party’s influence campaigns, while both Fallon and McClain said it is the duty of the U.S. to stand firmly in our commitment to support Taiwan.

Taiwan is now left with just 14 diplomatic allies.

Since 2016 when President Tsai Ing-wen (???) came into office, Taiwan has lost eight diplomatic allies, including: Burkina Faso, Panama, Sao Tome and Principe, Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Solomon Islands, Kiribati and now Nicaragua.

Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel