Nicaragua’s diplomatic switch to recognize China over Taiwan will likely increase investment in Nicaragua and help make Central America a focal point of the U.S.-China competition for global influence. Nicaragua’s foreign minister announced on Dec. 9 that the country had decided to break relations with Taiwan and would no longer formally recognize the island as separate from China. Specifically, he said Nicaragua recognized the “People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate government that represents all of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory.” The U.S. State Department condemned the move and said it could not “reflect the will of the Nicaraguan people,” referring to the widely disputed Nov. 7 election that saw Nicaragua’s 76-year-old president Daniel Ortega – already the longest-standing leader in the Americas – secure yet another term....
