The tiny Micronesian island of Nauru was one of only twelve nations maintaining diplomatic relations with Taipei.
However, Beijing, which maintains that Taiwan is a part of China, has been stealing its diplomatic allies in recent years.
Taiwan implies that the recent defeat is connected to the election outcomes from last weekend, which infuriated China.
Voters chose William Lai, a pro-sovereignty candidate, to be their next president. Beijing has called Lai a “troublemaker” because of comments he made in the past endorsing Taiwanese independence, which it views as offensive.
Following the announcement by the government of Nauru that it would “no longer recognise [Taiwan] as a separate country but” that “this timing is not only China’s retaliation against our democratic elections but also a direct challenge to the international order,” Taiwanese officials claimed.
