聖多美和普林西比與臺灣斷交

The tiny African nation of São Tomé and Príncipe has cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan as Beijing steps up its efforts to isolate the self-governing island, which it considers part of China.

隨着北京方面加大力度孤立處於自治狀態的臺灣，非洲小國聖多美和普林西比(São Tomé and Príncipe)斷絕了與臺灣的外交關係。北京方面認爲臺灣是中國的一部分。

The Chinese government has intensified the pressure on Taiwan since the election earlier this year of President Tsai Ing-wen, whose party wants the democratically ruled island to reduce its economic reliance on China and remain effectively independent.

自今年早些時候蔡英文(Tsai Ing-wen)當選爲臺灣總統以來，中國政府便加大了對臺灣的壓力。蔡英文領導的政黨想讓這個實行民主統治的島嶼降低對中國大陸的經濟依賴，維持實際上的獨立地位。

The fate of Taiwan has been thrust back into the international spotlight by US president-elect Donald Trump, who angered Beijing by talking directly to Ms Tsai and calling into question the “One China” principle under which most of the world refuses to maintain diplomatic ties with Taipei.

美國當選總統唐納德.特朗普(Donald Trump)令臺灣的命運再度成爲國際關注焦點。他與蔡英文直接通話，並對“一箇中國”原則提出質疑，這激怒了北京方面。世界上大多數國家遵循“一箇中國”原則，拒絕與臺灣保持外交關係。

Ranking as the world’s 209th economy by size and with a population of less than 200,000 people, São Tomé is hardly a diplomatic heavyweight.

就規模而言，聖多美和普林西比在世界各經濟體中排名第209位，其人口不到20萬，在外交方面很難算得上一個重量級角色。

But its decision to abandon Taiwan is a symbolic blow to the island, leaving it with just 21 diplomatic allies remaining, most of them small, developing nations such as Palau and El Salvador.

但是，聖多美和普林西比決定與臺灣斷交給後者造成了具有象徵意義的打擊，臺灣的邦交國這下子只剩21個，大多是帕勞和薩爾瓦多這類的發展中小國。

Beijing welcomed the move, with the Chinese foreign ministry saying that it appreciates the African nation’s “return to the right track of the One China principle”.

北京方面對聖多美和普林西比的舉動表示了歡迎。中國外交部對這個非洲國家“回到一箇中國原則的正確軌道上來”表示讚賞。

Taiwan’s foreign ministry attacked the São Tomé government for its “abrupt and unfriendly” action, which it said “ignored 20 years of friendly diplomatic relations, playing both sides of the Taiwan Strait while holding out for the highest bidder”.

臺灣外交部抨擊了聖多美和普林西比政府這一“輕率且不友好”的行徑，稱該國“罔顧兩國近20年邦誼，試圖遊走兩岸，待價而沽”。

In the decades after China was admitted to the United Nations in 1971, most countries established diplomatic relations with Beijing and de-recognised the Republic of China, as Taiwan is formally known. But Taipei and Beijing battled it out for the support of a handful of mostly developing nations, which often lent their recognition to the government offering the most generous aid package.

在1971年中國加入聯合國(UN)後的幾十年裏，大多數國家與北京方面建立了外交關係，不再承認中華民國——臺灣的正式稱謂。但臺北方面和北京方面爲贏得少數幾個國家（大多爲發展中國家）的支持展開了激烈爭奪，這些國家往往是哪方向其提供最慷慨的援助就承認哪方。

This diplomatic war was halted during the administration of Ma Ying-jeou, the previous Taiwanese president, who tried to build closer economic and political ties with Beijing.

在上任臺灣總統馬英九(Ma Ying-jeou)任內，兩岸暫時停止了外交戰。馬英九努力與北京方面建立更緊密的經濟政治關係。

But China ended the apparent truce after Ms Tsai was elected in a landslide in January. It has also taken other measures against Taiwan, from curbing the number of Chinese tourists visiting the island to blocking its participation in international meetings.

但蔡英文今年1月以壓倒性優勢當選臺灣總統後，北京方面終止了這一明顯的休戰。它還採取了其他針對臺灣的措施——從限制大陸赴臺遊客數量，到阻止臺灣參加國際會議。