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.
EXCUSES: Beijing is using government and research vessels as a pretext to harass the nation and enter its EEZ, and engage in ‘hegemonic expansion,’ the coast guard said The Coast Guard Administration yesterday said it drove away Chinese oceanographic research vessel Xiang Yang Hong 22 (向陽紅33) from restricted waters after warning it that it was in Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ). The Chinese vessel entered restricted waters off the coast of Yilan County’s Suao (蘇澳) at 11:35pm on Thursday, the coast guard said, adding that it dispatched the Lanyu patrol vessel and the boat PP-10077 to shadow the Chinese ship and issue radio warnings ordering it to leave. China has no sovereignty over waters off Taiwan’s east coast, Lanyu’s crew told Xiang Yang Hong 22 over the radio, and demanded
Tropical Storm Mekkhala is forecast to strengthen into a typhoon tomorrow and could come close enough to Taiwan later in the week to prompt a sea warning, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. As of 2 pm, the storm was located 1,870 kilometers southeast of Taiwan's southern tip and moving west- northwest at 23 km per hour. CWA forecaster Cheng Chieh-jen (鄭傑仁) said Mekkhala is expected to continue moving west-northwest through Tuesday under the influence of the Pacific high- pressure system before gradually turning north toward waters east of Taiwan or south of the Ryukyu Islands. The timing and angle of the
Four Taiwanese universities have been ranked among the world's top 200 institutions in the Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) World University Rankings for next year, the highest Taiwan has ever placed in the category, with National Taiwan University (NTU) achieving its best performance at 54th globally and 17th in Asia. The four Taiwanese institutions in the global top 200 are NTU (54th), National Tsing Hua University (142nd), National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University (177th) and National Cheng Kung University (191st), the rankings showed. All four universities achieved their highest-ever global rankings this year, QS data showed. National Cheng Kung University entered the top 200 for
RISING POPULARITY: Enhanced flight connectivity and a visa waiver trial program are among the motivations that have boosted travel to Taiwan by Filipinos, the agency said The Tourism Administration said yesterday that it is stepping up efforts to attract tourists from the Philippines following strong growth during the first quarter. The agency’s data showed the nation welcomed 210,000 Filipino visitors from January to March, marking a 43 percent increase compared with the same period last year. The Philippines is Taiwan’s top source of inbound tourists among the Southeast Asian nations, data showed. With a population of 116 million and national median age of 26, the Philippines boasts a young demographic with strong travel potential, the Tourism Administration said. Outbound travel demand in the Philippines continues to rise amid robust
RSS