TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — The Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) has approved China’s ascension to permanent observer status about a month after it passed a motion to exclude Taiwan, China's foreign ministry said on Tuesday (Sept. 26).
The parliament approved a resolution to “revoke the permanent observer status of the so-called Legislative Yuan of the Taiwan region and accept the National People’s Congress of China as a permanent observer,” Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Wang Wenbin (汪文斌) said on Tuesday. PARLACEN confirmed the news via Facebook.
PARLACEN President Amado Cerrud met with China’s ambassador in El Salvador Zhang Yanhui (張艷輝) at a session of the parliament on Tuesday to mark the ascension. Cerrud said he was optimistic about the future of bi-regional relations following a recent visit to Beijing, the post read.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry decided to withdraw from the parliament after Nicaragua, which cut ties with Taiwan in 2021, proposed to remove Taiwan. The parliament said that United Nations Resolution 2758, passed in 1971, which stated that the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government of China, disqualified Taiwan from participating as an independent country.
Of the six countries that make up PARLACEN, five have switched formal diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China within the past six years. Guatemala is Taiwan’s sole remaining diplomatic ally in the institution and is also the country where PARLACEN is headquartered.
Zhang Yanhui speaks at the Central American Parliament on Tuesday. (Facebook, PARLACEN photo)