TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Nicaraguan government has closed four Taiwanese organizations, including the Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce in Nicaragua and the Taiwanese-Nicaraguan Business Chamber.

The Nicaraguan Ministry of the Interior ordered the transfer of all assets of the Taiwanese-Nicaraguan Business Chamber and the other organizations to the state, according to Articulo 66.

The shuttering comes amid a crackdown on NGOs. The Central American nation has toughened laws governing non-profits after anti-government protests in 2018. Approximately 3,500 NGOs have closed in Nicaragua since 2018.

The government accused the Taiwan-affiliated organizations of failing to submit financial reports, subjecting them to non-profit organization laws.

Nicaragua severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in December 2021 and established relations with China. Taiwan was given just two weeks to pull out of the country, which forced it to donate its embassy to the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Managua, according to La Prensa.

However, La Prensa later reported that the Nicaraguan government had ordered the embassy building and all associated assets to be seized and transferred to the Chinese government, citing Nicaragua's adherence to the Chinese Communist Party’s claim that Taiwan is part of China.

Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs responded by calling it an "illegal encroachment" by the Nicaraguan government. The two-week deadline for withdrawal that had been set for the Taiwanese embassy was inconsistent with international norms and disregarded international law, it said.