Taiwan expresses regret as Sao Tome ends ties

TAIPEI (Reuters) - Taiwan Foreign Minister David Lee expressed regret on Wednesday after Sao Tome ended ties with the self-ruled island, and said Taiwan would not engage in "dollar diplomacy". Taiwan was unable to satisfy the small West Africa nation's financial shortages, Lee told a news conference in Taipei. China earlier welcomed the move, without explicitly saying it had established formal relations with Sao Tome. (Reporting by J.R. Wu; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Lincoln Feast)