China says the principle followed to forge diplomatic ties with Costa Rica can work for other countries, and respecting the one-China policy is a "wise" choice.

Foreign Ministry spokesman Qin Gang made the remarks Thursday when responding to a question on whether Nicaragua sent officials to Beijing to consult on establishing diplomatic ties with China.

Qin said he did not know if Nicaraguan officials had visited China.

He stressed that the Chinese government is ready to set up diplomatic ties with all the countries based on the UN Charter and Five Principles of Peaceful Co-existence.

The Taiwan issue is the only obstacle in forging diplomatic ties between China and a small number of countries, Qin said.

China and Costa Rica established diplomatic ties on June 1 after the Latin American country agreed to break official relations with Taiwan. Costa Rica is the 169th country to establish diplomatic relations with China.

Experts believe establishing relations with Costa Rica could influence other nations in Latin America that still have ties with Taiwan.

Only 24 states recognize Taiwan, mostly small nations in Central and South America, Africa and the South Pacific.

Qin called on those countries to recognize the trend, and make the "correct" and "wise" choice and establish a one-China policy.