Editor's note: Dr. John Gong is a professor at the University of International Business and Economics and a research fellow at the Academy of China Open Economy Studies at UIBE. The article reflects the author's views and not necessarily those of CGTN.

One more country is now standing on the right side of history. Nicaragua has severed ties with Taiwan region, officially resuming diplomatic relations with China.

"The People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory," Nicaraguan Foreign Minister Denis Moncada said in an official statement.

Only 14 countries with "diplomatic ties" to Taiwan are left in the world, still waiting for their time to stand on the right side of history. It is actually a good geography test to see if folks can find these countries on a map. In Latin America and the Caribbean, they are Haiti, Guatemala, Honduras, Belize, Paraguay, St. Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis. In the Oceania region, there are four island countries: Marshall Islands, Nauru, Tuvalu and Palau. And then there is Eswatini in Africa and the Vatican in Europe.

The combined population of these 14 countries is 48 million people, less than the combined population of Beijing and Shanghai, and they represent 0.6 percent of the world population.

Such is Taiwan's current international stature in the world. Before today's pleasant surprise, Nicaragua's northern neighbor, Honduras, was also rumored to ditch Taiwan authorities when its newly elected president was campaigning on the promise to switch diplomatic recognition. But presumably after an emergency visit by U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Brian Nichols, the new Honduras president quickly changed his mind. This is all understandable as Honduras very much relies on Washington both economically and politically.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega and his party Sandinista National Liberation Front have been in power in Nicaragua for most of the past 30 years, and they have been a nemesis of Washington ever since the Ronald Reagan days. Remember the Iran-Contra scandal? Lieutenant Colonel Oliver North of the U.S. National Security Council diverted proceeds from the Iranian weapon sales to fund the anti-Sandinista rebels? Just recently, on Ortega's fourth consecutive term in office, U.S. President Joe Biden signed a bill that imposes new sanctions and other punitive measures against Nicaragua.

One wonderful export product from Nicaragua is likely to suffer a big loss due to new sanctions from Washington, which is likely to find an even bigger market in China. Ever since John F. Kennedy imposed an embargo on Cuba in 1962 (hours before he signed the embargo bill, Kennedy sent out his Press Secretary Pierre Salinger to snag 1,200 H. Upmanns in the Washington D.C. area), American cigar aficionados have been relying on Nicaragua as a source of substitutes for the venerable Cuban cigars.

The Esteli valley in Nicaragua produces some of the world's best cigars, nothing short of the outrageously expensive authentic stuff from Habanos S.A., a Cuban tobacco manufacturing company, thanks to the legendary cigar families that fled to Nicaragua for refuge after the Cuban revolution. Now that Nicaragua has established formal diplomatic relations with China, cigar puffers in China now have an excellent second choice.

I have a group of very good friends in Beijing who wine and dine from time to time. And the ritual that follows is, as you guessed right, usually smoking cigars! But this snobbish lot of mine all likes the expensive stuff from Habanos S.A. I truly believe that one day I can convince them to try something new once Nicaraguan cigars arrive in Beijing.

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