导读:巴拿马共和国总统胡安·卡洛斯·巴雷拉当地时间12日晚上8点（北京时间13日早9点）通过电视讲话宣布巴拿马共和国与中华人民共和国建立外交关系。
Panama has cut long-standing diplomatic ties with Taiwan and established relations with China instead.
巴拿马断绝了与台湾长期存在的外交关系，转而与中国建立关系。
The government said it recognised there was "only one China" and that it considers Taiwan part of it.
政府称，它承认“只有一个中国”，并认为台湾是中国的一部分。
China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province that it insists should be reunited with the mainland.
中国视台湾为一个分离的省份，它坚称其应与大陆统一。
Panama is the latest among the handful of countries that had maintained ties with Taipei instead of Beijing to switch sides.
巴拿马为最近几个此前与台北而非北京保持关系而后改变立场的国家之一。
In December last year, the African island of Sao Tome and Principe made a similar move. Now only 20 countries maintain ties with Taiwan.
去年12月，非洲岛国圣多美与普林希比共和国做出了相似举动。现在，仅有20个国家与台湾维持关系。
In recent years China has intensified its economic investment into the Central American country - home of the economically vital Panama Canal.
近年来，中国增加了在这一中美国家的经济投资，该国是经济上至关重要的巴拿马运河的所在地。
Taiwan’s foreign ministry expressed anger and regret over Panama’s decision and said it would not compete with Beijing in what it called the diplomatic money game. It was as recently as June last year that Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen visited Panama.
台湾“外交部”对巴拿马这一决定表达了愤怒和遗憾，并称不会与北京就其所称的“金钱外交”展开竞争。就在去年6月，台湾“总统”蔡英文访问了巴拿马。
The United Nations in 1971 switched diplomatic recognition to Beijing’s People’s Republic of China (PRC) and most countries have since followed that lead in order not to antagonise the resurging economic giant.
1971年，联合国在外交上转而承认中华人民共和国，自此，大多数国家为了不与这一东山再起的经济大国为敌纷纷效仿此举。
Many of Taipei’s remaining backers are small island states or in Central and South America - regions that so far had few economic ties with China.
台北的剩余支持国多为中南美洲的小岛国，这些地区至今与中国没有什么经济联系。
Given China’s rapid growth as economic and political superpower, it has been increasingly easier for Beijing to sway countries to their side.
考虑到中国作为经济和政治超级大国快速发展，北京愈发容易使各国倒向它们一边。
In the case of Sao Tome, Taiwan’s foreign ministry condemned the move, alleging the island nation demanded a huge amount of financial support.
拿圣多美来说，台湾“外交部”谴责此举，指责这一岛国要求巨额金融支持。
Panama did not give any reason as to why it changed its diplomatic allegiance but there has been growing economic cooperation with China over the past years.
巴拿马并未给出其改变外交立场的原因，但是在过去几年里，它与中国的经济合作日益增多。
Chinese companies are developing ports in Panama and Chinese state firms are said to have expressed interest in developing the land around the Panama Canal.
中国公司正在巴拿马开发港口，据称，中国国企对开发巴拿马运河周边岛屿表达了兴趣。
The Panama Canal is a vital shipping route and as China expands its global trade ambitions with its One Belt One Road initiative, access to the eastern coasts of both South America and the US is expected to be of growing importance for Beijing.
巴拿马运河是一个重要的海运航线，由于中国“一带一路”全球贸易雄心扩张，进入南美和美国对于北京而言将变得越来越重要。
