Taipei reacted angrily to the news, which left the island with 19 diplomatic allies around the world -- mostly small and poor countries in the Pacific and the Caribbean, with the Dominican Republic being the largest before the latest development. "The Dominican Republic has ignored our long-term partnership, the wishes of the people of the Dominican Republic and the years of development assistance provided by Taiwan to accept false promises of investment and aid by China," Taiwan's Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told reporters. Long-running rivalry

China and Taiwan -- officially the People's Republic of China and the Republic of China, respectively -- separated in 1949 following the Communist victory on the mainland after a civil war. Last year, Taiwan expressed "anger and regret" over the "very unfriendly" diplomatic turn by Panama and accused it of "bullying" Taipei while "ignoring the many years of friendship" between the two countries.
The Dominican Republic severs ties with Taiwan and establishes diplomatic relations with China.