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Central American nations to maintain relations with Taipei

Central American nations said on Thursday they had no plans to follow Costa Rica and switch their allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing.

"We're maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan but we're worried that other countries will go along with Costa Rica," Guatemalan Foreign Minister Gert Rosenthal said.

After losing Costa Rica, Taiwan now has 24 allies including Panama, Honduras, El Salvador, Nicaragua, Belize and Guatemala.

Honduras said it was sticking with Taipei for the moment.

"There is no plan by Honduras to establish diplomatic relations with Beijing in the short term, although our private businessmen do have trade activities," Deputy Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina, said.

Panama and Belize said on Thursday they would not abandon Taipei.

Salvadoran President Tony Saca said he was open to forging relations with China, but only if Beijing dropped its insistence that El Salvador cut ties with Taiwan.

Nicaraguan President Daniel Ortega, a former leftist guerrilla and Cold War ally of China, pledged during his election campaign last year to set up diplomatic relations with Beijing but later suggested he would stick with Taipei.
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