Activists urge nations to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics

Activists in Taiwan urged the rest of the world to boycott the Beijing Winter Olympics on World Human Rights Day, as the Republic of Nicaragua announced it was terminating official diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Taiwan lost Nicaragua as a diplomatic ally after the Central American country said it would officially recognize only China, which claims self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory.

"Mutual understanding, friendship, unity and fair play, these four Olympic principles are the contrary to what China's Communist Party is doing right now," said Miao Po-ya, Taipei City Councilor and member of the Social Democrat Party.

The move increases Taiwan's diplomatic isolation on the international stage, even as the self-governed island steps up official exchanges with countries like Lithuania and Slovakia, which do not formally recognize Taiwan as a country.

Now, Taipei has 14 diplomatic allies remaining.

Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed “sadness and regret” and said it would immediately recall its diplomatic staff.

China has been poaching Taiwan’s diplomatic allies over the past few years, cutting down the number of countries that recognize the democratic island as a sovereign nation.

China is against Taiwan representing itself in global forums or in diplomacy.

The Solomon Islands chose to recognize China in 2019, cutting diplomatic ties with Taiwan.