A posthumous memoir by Taiwan's last ambassador to Nicaragua says Taipei deliberately let the relationship go to stay aligned with Washington — a claim the foreign ministry flatly denies, and one that is awkward for Taiwan either way.

• Wu Chin-mu, who died last year, wrote that Taiwan chose to stand with the United States and gave up Nicaragua on purpose.
• The turning point was Nicaragua's 2021 election: Ortega jailed the US-backed candidate and dozens of opponents, won another term, and the West refused to recognize the result.
• Taiwan's then-president Tsai Ing-wen never called to congratulate Ortega, which angered Managua and pushed it toward Beijing and the "one China" principle.
• Deputy foreign minister Chen Ming-chi called the account impossible, saying Taiwan fought to keep the tie to the last minute and that China poured huge resources into flipping it.
• The ministry says the memoir's version is not its own understanding, and has handed all related records to the Control Yuan.

Outlook: Expect the Control Yuan review to decide whose account stands, while Taiwan's shrinking list of allies keeps the question politically live.