Earlier on Thursday, Taiwan’s foreign ministry announced that it had signed an agreement with Guyana on January 11 to open an office in Taiwan, which is actually a de facto embassy for the island.
Beijing is demanding full sovereignty over Taiwan, a democracy of nearly 24 million people located on the southeast coast of mainland China, despite the fact that the two parties have been ruled separately for more than seven decades.
Wang Wenbin, spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry, responded to the move by saying Beijing hopes Guyana will not have official ties with Taiwan, and calls on the country to “take serious steps to correct their mistake”. to correct.”
By Thursday afternoon, hours after China’s response, Guyana’s foreign ministry said it was reversing the agreement and that it was continuing to abide by “One China” policy.
“The government has not entered into any diplomatic ties or relations with Taiwan and as a result of the incorrect communication of the signed agreement, this agreement has since been terminated,” the statement said.
Guyana has traditionally had close ties with China. A former British colony, Guyana, recently began developing foreign oil reserves and is strategically located next to the disputed Venezuela, a key Chinese ally with which Guyana has a territorial dispute.