Taiwan expelled as permanent observer of Central American Parliament; Belize condemns

Published by BBNTEAM at August 25, 2023

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Posted: Friday, August 25, 2023. 2:30 pm CST.

By Aaron Humes: President of the Senate Carolyn Trench-Sandiford has issued an official statement leading condemnation of news this week that the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) apparently expelled the Republic of China (Taiwan) as permanent observer, replacing it with the People’s Republic of China (PRC).

She calls it “very concerning” as “Throughout the years, through regional and bilateral cooperation projects, Taiwan has helped to promote democracy, good governance and the overall welfare of the people of the region. Their efforts have been unparalleled in complementing our region’s development.”

President Trench-Sandiford reaffirmed that “For Belize, Taiwan has been and will continue to be a valuable development partner… The National Assembly of Belize and the Belizean people express its solidarity and friendship with the Government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan).”

The vote took place on Monday in Managua, Nicaragua, one of five Central American countries that now recognize only the PRC in addition to the Dominican Republic, another observer member.

According to Reuters, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it had decided to withdraw from Parlacen immediately in the interest of upholding “national dignity”, and condemned what it called Chinese efforts to suppress Taiwan’s international participation. In a statement, Parlacen cited the United Nations’ 1971 expulsion of Taiwan in favor of China, saying this deemed Taiwan to be a “province of mainland China, which disqualifies it from participating as an independent country”.

Guatemala, the most populous country in Central America, is the only Parlacen member that still recognizes Taiwan; Belize is not a member. U.S. senators Tim Kaine, a Democrat, and Marco Rubio, a Republican, who lead a Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on the Western Hemisphere, also condemned the vote.

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