Nicaragua's government has severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing, proclaiming that "there is only one China in the world."

Nicaragua's statement reduces the number of countries that maintain official diplomatic relations with self-ruled Taiwan to a little more than a dozen, including Central American neighbors Honduras and Guatemala.

"The People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China and Taiwan is an undoubted part of the Chinese territory," Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada said Thursday in a televised announcement from the capital city Managua.

"The government of the Republic of Nicaragua breaks diplomatic relations with Taiwan as of today and stopped having any contact or official relationship," he stated.

Since the end of the Chinese civil war more than 70 years ago, China and Taiwan have been governed separately. Taiwan is now a thriving multiparty democracy, but the mainland's ruling Chinese Communist Party views the island as an integral part of its territory despite never having held it.

Beijing refuses to maintain diplomatic relations with any country that recognizes Taiwan and has spent the better part of the last four decades isolating the island through economic support offered to diplomatic friends.

The number of countries enjoying diplomatic relations with Taiwan rather than Beijing has dwindled dramatically in recent years, as China seeks to expand its worldwide influence under President Xi Jinping.

El Salvador, Burkina Faso, and the Dominican Republic announced their intention to withdraw their recognition of Taipei in 2018, followed by the Solomon Islands and Kiribati in 2019.

On the other hand, Nicaragua may not be the last country to transfer from Taiwan to China in 2021.

Honduran President-elect Xiomara Castro publicly raised the notion of cutting diplomatic ties with Taipei, prompting President Tsai Ing-wen and her cabinet to a deliberate effort to strengthen a relationship with the Central American nation.

China's ambassador to the United Nations, Zhang Jun, said on Twitter Friday that he "highly commended" Nicaragua's decision to terminate diplomatic relations with Taiwan, "which is in line with the prevailing trend of the time and people's aspiration."

"The One-China principle is a consensus widely accepted by the international community and allows no challenge," he said.

Taiwan-Beijing relations have deteriorated to levels not seen in decades under Xi. In October, China's military launched a record number of airplanes around the island amid warnings of future military action. Meanwhile, the US – which transferred diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing in 1979 – has enhanced Taiwan's international standing through substantial military purchases and high-profile visits by American officials.

Taiwan now has just 14 diplomatic allies, largely minor Caribbean and Pacific island nations, as well as the Vatican.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry expressed "pain and regret" over the news, announcing that it will sever diplomatic relations with Nicaragua, suspend bilateral cooperation, and evacuate staff members.

"The Ortega government ignored the long-standing affinity between Taiwanese and Nicaraguans, who shared both prosperity and adversity. We are quite disappointed to read this "It referred to Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, who was recently re-elected.

"Taiwan has the right have diplomatic contacts with other countries as a member of world society. We will continue to promote "Steadfast Diplomacy" in order to expand our international surviving space, devoting ourselves to regional peace and stability, fighting for the international recognition we deserve, and defending this nation's interests and the welfare of its people "Taiwan's statement was supplemented.

According to a statement from the US State Department, the decision to cut ties with Taiwan "deprives Nicaragua's people of a steadfast partner in its democratic and economic growth."

"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," the statement stated.

According to Taiwan's official Central News Agency, Nicaragua has severed connections with the self-governing island before. It earlier transferred recognition to Beijing in 1985 – likewise during President Ortega's fifth non-consecutive term.

The two countries re-established diplomatic relations in 1990, during Violeta Barrios de Chamorro's president, CNA reported.