During the official ceremony in Beijing, Foreign Minister of Burkina Faso Alpha Barry and his Chinese counterpart Wang Yi signed a communique on the establishment of diplomatic ties.
On May 24, Burkina Faso announced its decision to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Following the announcement, the Taiwanese foreign minister resigned.
READ MORE: Burkina Faso May Follow Panama in Cutting Ties with Taiwan
After Chinese Nationalist forces were defeated by Mao Zedong’s Communists, the Nationalist government moved to Taiwan in 1949. Since then, Beijing has viewed the self-ruled island as a breakaway province. Informal contacts between Beijing and Taipei renewed in the late 1980s.
Less than 20 states have diplomatic ties with Taipei. After the move of Burkina Faso, there are only 18 states in the world having official relations with Taiwan.