Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) executive president Dante Mossi thanked Taiwan for its contribution to the region after Nicaragua proposed replacing Taiwan with China in the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN).
Then-PARLACEN president Guillermo Daniel Ortega Reyes of Nicaragua in April last year issued a statement that had not been discussed by the parliament, saying there was only “one China.”
Nicaragua last month proposed replacing the Legislative Yuan with the Chinese National People’s Congress as an observer in PARLACEN.
Photo: Chang Chia-ming, Taipei Times
Five of the six PARLACEN member states — the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Honduras Nicaragua and Panama — recognize the People’s Republic of China as the sole representative of China, the proposal said.
Guatemala is the only PARLACEN member state that has diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The proposal was submitted to PARLACEN’s Commission of International Relations and Migration Affairs and is to be deliberated when the parliament convenes next month.
PARLACEN adopts majority rule, which is unfavorable for Taiwan, a person familiar with the matter said, asking to remain anonymous.
Taiwan is striving to explain the nation’s contribution to the region to the parliament’s representatives and has maintained communication with them, the person said, adding that the statement issued by Nicaragua last year sparked a backlash from several representatives.
The System of Central American Integration (SICA) comprises PARLACEN, the CABEI and the Central American Common Market.
If the proposal to replace Taiwan is pushed through, some are worried that Taiwan’s observer status in SICA and its non-regional membership in the CABEI might be challenged next.
Mossi wrote on LinkedIn that Taiwan is the largest shareholder of the CABEI and “its impact in the region dwarfs any trade impact from any other country in Asia.”
A research paper conducted by the CABEI shows that none of the eight Central American countries had any significant gain with trade or investments after establishing diplomatic ties with China, he said, adding that an exception might be Panama because of trade through the Panama Canal.
“We are too far from Asia, and the size of Central America is not that attractive to the mammoths in Asia,” he said.
The CABEI has provided more than US$16 billion in loans over the past four years, of which Taiwan holds an almost 11 percent share, he said.
“For that, many thanks! Xie Xie,” he wrote.
Taiwan is to have nine extended holidays next year, led by a nine-day Lunar New Year break, the Cabinet announced yesterday. The nine-day Lunar New Year holiday next year matches the length of this year’s holiday, which featured six extended holidays. The increase in extended holidays is due to the Act on the Implementation of Commemorative and Festival Holidays (紀念日及節日實施條例), which was passed early last month with support from the opposition Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party. Under the new act, the day before Lunar New Year’s Eve is also a national holiday, and Labor Day would no longer be limited
Taiwan is to extend its visa-waiver program for Philippine passport holders for another year, starting on Aug. 1, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said on Friday. Lin made the announcement during a reception in Taipei marking the 127th anniversary of Philippine independence and the 50th anniversary of the establishment of the Manila Economic and Cultural Office (MECO) in Taiwan, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said. The decision reflected Taiwan’s commitment to deepening exchanges with the Philippines, the statement cited Lin as saying, adding that it was a key partner under the New Southbound Policy launched in 2016. Lin also expressed hope
Costa Rica sent a group of intelligence officials to Taiwan for a short-term training program, the first time the Central American country has done so since the countries ended official diplomatic relations in 2007, a Costa Rican media outlet reported last week. Five officials from the Costa Rican Directorate of Intelligence and Security last month spent 23 days in Taipei undergoing a series of training sessions focused on national security, La Nacion reported on Friday, quoting unnamed sources. The Costa Rican government has not confirmed the report. The Chinese embassy in Costa Rica protested the news, saying in a statement issued the same
Temperatures in New Taipei City’s Sindian District (新店) climbed past 37°C yesterday, as the Central Weather Administration (CWA) issued heat alerts for 16 municipalities, warning the public of intense heat expected across Taiwan. The hottest location in Taiwan was in Sindian, where the mercury reached 37.5°C at about 2pm, according to CWA data. Taipei’s Shilin District (士林) recorded a temperature of 37.4°C at noon, Taitung County’s Jinfeng Township (金峰) at 12:50 pm logged a temperature of 37.4°C and Miaoli County’s Toufen Township (頭份) reached 36.7°C at 11:40am, the CWA said. The weather agency yesterday issued a yellow level information notice for Taipei, New
RSS