TAIPEI, May 1 (bdnews24.com/Reuters) - Taiwan has resumed diplomatic ties with the small Caribbean island of St Lucia, the Foreign Ministry said on Tuesday, in a move that sparked indignation and drew protest from China.

Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said in a statement it had re-established ties on Monday with the tropical resort island --just 43 km (27 miles) long with a population of 165,000 -- taking its number of diplomatic allies to 25.

China condemned the move.

The resumption of St Lucia's ties with Taiwan was "a flagrant violation of the declaration on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and St Lucia", the Xinhua news agency quoted Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao as saying.

Xinhua quoted Liu as saying that China had already lodged a strong protest to the government of St Lucia.

St Lucia broke ties with Taiwan in 1997, but the ruling party has since changed.

China has claimed sovereignty over self-ruled Taiwan since the end of the Chinese civil war in 1949 and under its "one China" policy forbids diplomatic allies from official contact with Taipei.

Taiwan and China compete, sometimes via chequebook diplomacy, for diplomatic recognition in poorer regions. Other than the Vatican, Taiwan's allies are mostly small nations in the South Pacific, Africa and Latin America.

"Taiwan cannot in any way equal China in chequebook diplomacy. We don't rely on money," Foreign Ministry James Huang told a news conference announcing renewed ties with St Lucia.

bdnews24.com/srs/1514 hrs