Taiwan has decided to cut diplomatic ties with Chad after the African nation recognized China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said at an emergency press conference last night.
The ministry's announcement came after Chad informed the government of the change at 10pm last night, it said.
Chad's recognizing China will cut the number of Taiwan's diplomatic allies to only 24.
The news comes as Premier Su Tseng-chang (蘇貞昌) was to depart for Chad today to attend Chadian President Idriss Deby's second inauguration on Tuesday as President Chen Shui-bian's (陳水扁) special envoy.
The ministry said that he has canceled the trip.
With the loss of Chad, the nation now has six diplomatic allies in Africa, according to the ministry.
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