FACTBOX-And then there were 12: Taiwan's diplomatic allies

China views democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taiwan's government strongly disputes. Over the years, China has slowly whittled away at the number of countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Nauru will sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan and recognise China, the government of the small Pacific Islands nation said in a statement on Monday.

That leaves Taiwan with formal diplomatic relations with only 12 countries. China views democratically governed Taiwan as part of its territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taiwan's government strongly disputes.

Over the years, China has slowly whittled away at the number of countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Following is a list of states that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan:

LATIN AMERICA AND CARIBBEAN Belize

Guatemala Paraguay

Haiti Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

PACIFIC Marshall Islands

Palau Tuvalu

AFRICA Eswatini

EUROPE Vatican City