Taiwan withdraws from Central American Parliament after expulsion vote, replaced with China

The Central American Parliament on Monday voted to expel Taiwan as a permanent observer and replace it with China, as the Asian Giant’s influence grows in the region. 

Members of the parliament, commonly known as Parlacen, met in the Nicaraguan capital of Managua on Monday. During the meeting, Nicaraguan members of the parliament suggested that Taipei be expelled and Beijing be included in the six-nation parliament. 

Nicaraguan officials cited the United Nations expulsion of Taiwan in 1971 in favor of China, which stated that Taiwan was a "province of mainland China, which disqualifies it from participating as an independent country."

Seventy-three legislators voted in favor of removing Taiwan, while 32 voted against and nine abstained. 

In light of the decision, Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it decided to withdraw from the parliament immediately in order to “uphold our national sovereignty and dignity.” 

“Nicaraguan parliamentary caucus and some pro-[Beijing] deputies bow to the conspiracy of China in expelling us, ignoring our long-time contributions to the parliament and the integration and development of the Central American region,” Taiwan’s foreign ministry said in a statement

Taiwan, who had held its observer status in the parliament since 1999 and became the body’s first non-regional member, called Nicaragua a “pawn” of China that was working to undermine democracy in the region. 

"China and Nicaragua are notorious authoritarian countries. ... It is an attack not only on Taiwan but also on the global democratic countries' camp," the foreign ministry continued. 

China, on the other hand, praised Parlacen’s move, calling it the “correct decision.”

"This once again demonstrates that adhering to the one-China principle is an inevitable tide, the aspiration of the people, and an unstoppable trend," said Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbing, welcoming the offer to make Beijing a permanent observer. 

The Parlacen’s six members include Nicaragua, El Salvador, Honduras, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Guatemala. Among member countries, Guatemala is the only one that continues to hold diplomatic relations with Taiwan. All of the other members switched their recognition to Beijing in recent years. Most recently, Honduras cut ties with Taiwan in March 2023.