Editing Foreign relations of Taiwan (section)

====Kiribati====
{{Main|Kiribati–Taiwan relations}}

[[File:蔡英文總統與吉里巴斯共和國總統馬茂談話.jpg|thumb|Kiribati President [[Taneti Mamau]] and President [[Tsai Ing-wen]] in Taiwan]]
[[Kiribati]], under the government of President [[Taneti Mamau]], initially recognised the ROC but switched to the PRC later on.

From 1980 to 2003, Kiribati recognised the PRC. Relations between China and Kiribati then became a contentious political issue within Kiribati. President [[Teburoro Tito]] was ousted in a parliamentary [[vote of no confidence]] in 2003, over his refusal to clarify the details of a land lease that had enabled Beijing to maintain a satellite-tracking station in the country since 1997, and over Chinese ambassador Ma Shuxue's acknowledged monetary donation to "a cooperative society linked to Tito".<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,FREEHOU,,KIR,45b632e02,473c549d23,0.html |title=Refworld – Freedom in the World 2004 – Kiribati |author=United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees |work=Refworld |access-date=21 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008133924/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country%2C%2CFREEHOU%2C%2CKIR%2C45b632e02%2C473c549d23%2C0.html |archive-date=8 October 2012 }}</ref> In the [[July 2003 Kiribatian presidential election|ensuing election]], Anote Tong won the presidency after "stirring suspicions that the station was being used to spy on US installations in the Pacific".<ref name="theage.com.au">{{cite news |url=http://www.theage.com.au/articles/2003/11/09/1068329419844.html |title=Tiny Pacific islands play China using the Taiwan card |author=McDonald, Hamish |author-link=Hamish McDonald |date=10 November 2003 |work=[[The Age]] |access-date=11 November 2011}}</ref> Tong had previously pledged to "review" the lease.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country,,FREEHOU,,KIR,45b632e02,473c549d23,0.html |title=Freedom in the World – Kiribati (2004) |access-date=21 February 2015 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121008133924/http://www.unhcr.org/refworld/country%2C%2CFREEHOU%2C%2CKIR%2C45b632e02%2C473c549d23%2C0.html |archive-date=8 October 2012}}</ref>

In November 2003, [[Tarawa]] established diplomatic relations with Taipei<ref name="theage.com.au"/> and Beijing severed its relations with the country. For the PRC, the presence of the satellite-tracking station had made relations with Kiribati relatively important; the station had, in particular, been used to track [[Yang Liwei]]'s [[spaceflight]].<ref name="Currency of Persuasion">[https://web.archive.org/web/20081021200500/http://www.listener.co.nz/issue/3391/features/3950/currency_of_persuasion,2.html "Currency of Persuasion"], ''New Zealand Listerner'', May 2005</ref> Therefore, for three weeks the PRC called upon I-Kiribati President Anote Tong to break off relations with Taiwan and re-affirm his support for the "One China" policy. Only after those three weeks did the PRC sever relations,<ref>[http://ee.china-embassy.org/eng/dtxw/t111970.htm "China ceases diplomatic relations with Kiribati"], PRC embassy in Estonia, 29 November 2003</ref> thereby losing the right to maintain its satellite-tracking base. The ROC began providing economic aid to Kiribati, while Kiribati began supporting Taiwan in the United Nations.

In 2004, President Tong said he believed the PRC was trying to influence his country.<ref name="pacificmagazine.net">[http://www.pacificmagazine.net/issue/2004/09/01/kiribati-plays-the-game "Kiribati Plays The Game: Taiwan vs. China Battle Continues"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081007202131/http://www.pacificmagazine.net/issue/2004/09/01/kiribati-plays-the-game |date=7 October 2008 }}, Mac William Bishop, ''Pacific Magazine'', 1 September 2004</ref> The comment was mainly due to the PRC's refusal to remove all its personnel from its closed embassy.<ref name="Currency of Persuasion"/> Tong stated that the Chinese personnel, who remained in Kiribati against his wishes, were handing out anti-government pamphlets; he told New Zealand journalist Michael Field: "I am sure if we did this in Beijing, we would be in jail in half a second".<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20130806114437/http://www.michaelfield.org/kiribati.htm "Chinese refuse to leave Kiribati"]}}, Michael Field, 26 October 2005</ref> Tong's brother and main political opponent, [[Harry Tong]], responded by accusing Taiwan of excessive influence on Kiribati, notably of influencing the country's clergy.<ref name="pacificmagazine.net"/>

In 2008, Taiwan settled Kiribati's unpaid bills to [[Fiji Airways|Air Pacific]], enabling the airline to maintain its services from [[Tarawa]] to [[Kiritimati]].<ref>[http://www.pacificmagazine.net/news/2008/09/28/taiwan-3m-keeps-air-pacific-charters-going-to-kiritimati-island "Taiwan $3M Keeps Air Pacific Charters Going To Kiritimati Island"]{{dead link|date=January 2017 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}, ''Pacific Magazine'', 28 September 2008</ref>

In November 2010, despite their lack of diplomatic relations, the PRC was one of fifteen countries to attend the [[Tarawa Climate Change Conference]] in Kiribati, and one of twelve to sign the resulting [[Ambo Declaration]] on climate change.<ref>[https://www.theguardian.com/global-development/2010/nov/16/kiribati-climate-change-conference-declaration "Kiribati climate change conference calls for urgent cash and action"], ''[[The Guardian]]'', 16 November 2010</ref> On 20 September 2019, Kiribati switched diplomatic relation from ROC to PRC.<ref>{{cite news|date=20 September 2019|url=https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-09-20/kiribati-to-switch-diplomatic-ties-from-taiwan-to-china/11532192|title=Kiribati cuts ties with Taiwan in diplomatic switch to China days after Solomon Islands pivot|work=ABC News|access-date=20 September 2019}}</ref>