Tuvalu's Prime Minister Feleti Teo reaffirmed his country's ties with Taiwan after taking office Wednesday following a general election last month, according to a government statement shared on social media by an incoming minister.
The South Pacific nation is one of Taiwan's three remaining Pacific allies after Nauru severed ties with the self-ruled island in favor of mainland China in January.
"The new government wishes to reaffirm its commitment to the long-term and lasting special relationship between Tuvalu and the Republic of China, Taiwan," said the government statement shared on X, formerly Twitter, by Minister for Transport, Energy, Communication and Innovation Simon Kofe.
"It intends to reassess options that would strengthen and lift it to a more durable, lasting, and mutually beneficial relationship," the statement said.
Ministers of Teo's Cabinet were sworn in at a ceremony in the capital Funafuti, more than a month after the Jan. 26 election.
Teo, a former attorney general and fisheries official, has visited Taiwan many times, according to the self-ruled island.
The move by Nauru last month leaves Taiwan with only 12 diplomatic allies, including the Pacific nations of Tuvalu, Palau and the Marshall Islands.
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