The Central American Parliament has decided to strip Taiwan of its 20-year-long observer status and replace it with China.
The six-nation parliament known as the PARLACEN voted on Monday in Nicaragua’s capital Managua to invite China to become an observer. The bill proposing this change was submitted by Nicaraguan lawmakers.
The bill says Taiwan is not qualified to participate in the PARLACEN because it is not recognized as a sovereign state at the United Nations.
Five Central American countries, including Panama and the Dominican Republic, severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan after 2017. Currently, only Guatemala and Belize maintain such relations.
In an effort to strengthen diplomatic connections, Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen visited the two countries earlier this year. (https://www3.nhk.or.jp/nhkworld/en/news/20230823_10/)
