Sao Tome Switches Recognition from Taiwan to China

The New York Times published on 22 December 2016 an article titled "A Small African Nation Severs Ties with Taiwan, and Beijing Applauds" by Mike Ives.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry announced on 21 December 2016 that the West African island nation of Sao Tome and Principe had broken relations while China welcomed the switch to Beijing. This reduces the number of countries having formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan to 21. This number includes only 2 in Africa: Swaziland and Burkina Faso. Gambia broke diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 2013 and was recognized by China in March 2016. The diplomatic truce between Taiwan and China is over and Beijing will almost certainly pursue vigorously formal relations with the other 21 countries.