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.
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.
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.