Salvador dumps Taiwan for China

El Salvador has become the latest country to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and establish relations with China.

El Salvador's Foreign Minister Carlos Castaneda and Chinese counterpart Wang Yii. Picture: AFP

The Central American republic of El Salvador has become the latest country to cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan, announcing yes­terday it would be establishing ­relations with China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and his El Salvadoran counterpart, Carlos Castaneda, yesterday signed in Beijing a joint communique to set up diplomatic relations.

The move leaves Taiwan recognised by only 17 countries.

After the ceremony at the Daioyutai State Guesthouse, Mr Wang praised El Salvador’s ­decision to “recognise there is one China in the world”.

Mr Castaneda said El Salvador had made a “strategic decision” and taken the “correct and ­beneficial path for the people of both nations”.

Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said El Salvador had asked Taipei many times over the past year for funding to develop a harbour in the east of the country.

Mr Wu said he had rejected the request after an investigation showed the site was unsuitable for development.

He condemned what he said were China’s “crude actions” in wooing El Salvador.

“We will not engage in dollar diplomacy with China,” he said.

He suggested the move was aimed at generating funding for the country’s ruling party ahead of an election in February.

“El Salvador will elect a new government next February,” Mr Wu said. “The ruling party is lagging behind in the opinion polls and they wish to receive funding for the campaign. This is against our democratic principles and we were not able to oblige.”

Mr Wang said El Salvador had made the decision to switch ­allegiance “with no pre-conditions”, but he said the country would “get tangible gains from its partnership with China”.

The move is a win for the Chinese government, which has been working hard to limit the inter­national influence of Taiwan since the election of the inde­pendence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party in 2016.

Since then, several smaller ­nations — Burkina Faso and the island of Sao Tome Principe in Africa as well as Panama and the Dominican Republic — have cut ties with Taiwan and moved to recognise China.

China regards Taiwan as a renegade province that it wants to eventually reunite with the mainland.

Yesterday’s announcement came as Taiwanese Prime Minister Tsai Ing-wen made a visit to Paraguay and Belize, two of Taiwan’s last remaining allies in the Americas. She made stop-offs in the US on the way to the region and on the way back.

On the way, she met with California politicians in Los Angles where she also visited Taiwan’s de facto consulate and addressed the American media at the Ronald Reagan presidential library.

On the way back, she became the first Taiwanese president to be given a tour of the NASA space centre in Houston, Texas.

Her welcome in the US has ­angered Beijing, which this week made its unhappiness very clear to Washington, accusing Dr Tsai of “exploiting all kinds of excuses to justify her foreign trips and ­separatist activities”.

A spokesman for the Chinese Foreign Ministry said China had “made its stern position clear to relevant countries” that it opposed “offering convenience and the avenue for such activities”.

“We have made clear our stern position to the US side,” he said.

“We urge the US to stick with the one-China principle.

“Taiwan separatist forces should not be aided or given any space on the international stage. We firmly oppose any country that has diplomatic ties with China engaging in any official ­interaction with Taiwan.”

The US visit was a win for Dr Tsai’s government, which has been moving to step up its international profile.

But Beijing has been stepping up its efforts to counter its influence. Earlier this year, it engaged in behind-the-scenes discussions with international airlines including Qantas to amend some references in their official literature to make it clear there was no intention to portray Taiwan as an independent nation.