The Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) of six Central American nations – namely Guatemala, El Salvador, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama, and the Dominican Republic – convened on Monday in Managua to propose advocating the replacement of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan with the All-China Assembly of People’s Representatives in an observer capacity. 

Subsequent to this announcement, Taiwan took the initiative to withdraw from its position as a constant observer within the Central American parliamentary assembly, as stated by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. Taiwan had upheld this observer status since the year 1999.

Jeff Liu, a representative of Taiwan’s Ministry, communicated that an extensive three-hour discourse ensued within the parliamentary session on Monday, leading to the endorsement of the proposal. The vote tallied 73 in favor, 32 opposed, and 9 abstentions.

Citing United Nations Resolution 2758, the Central American parliamentary assembly issued a statement affirming Taiwan’s designation as a “province of mainland China.” This characterization thus precludes Taiwan’s participation in the conference as an independent sovereign entity.

Over recent months, Taiwan’s official representatives made concerted efforts to engage in negotiations and underscore Taiwan’s enduring contributions to regional development. Taiwan declared this situation a vivid manifestation of burgeoning authoritarianism within Central America.

Certain quarters perceive this action as a direct manifestation of China’s endeavors to undermine democracy within Central America, furthering its ambition to consolidate influence across the region.

More than ten nations, sixteen co-chairs of the Formosa Club, the Inter-Parliamentary Alliance on China, and US Senator Bill Cassidy have all expressed support for Taiwan’s continued involvement in the Central American parliamentary assembly.

Chuan Chiu-syun, the Secretary-General of the Democratic Progressive Party, asserted that Taiwan’s exclusion from PARLACEN is part of China’s broader strategy to influence Taiwan’s presidential elections in January.

Apprehensions have been voiced regarding Taiwan’s status within the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI), an integral component of the Central American integration framework alongside PARLACEN and the Central American Common Market.

Nonetheless, Taiwan’s Minister of Finance affirmed the independence of these two entities, clarifying that Taiwan’s departure from PARLACEN would not impinge on its ongoing membership within CABEI.