US wades into long-running diplomatic competition between Taiwan and China
The Trump administration says it is re-examining relations with El Salvador after the Central American nation broke diplomatic ties with Taiwan in favor of China. In a statement, the White House criticized the country’s decision as well as Beijing’s diplomatic outreach that led to the move.
“The El Salvadoran government’s receptiveness to China’s apparent interference in the domestic politics of a Western Hemisphere country is of grave concern to the United States, and will result in a re-evaluation of our relationship with El Salvador,” said the White House statement published late Thursday.
The administration’s statement is seen as the toughest so far in response to China’s campaign to isolate Taiwan, and analysts say it is meant to send a message.
It appears this El Salvador case is “a wake-up call for the United States” and provoked the strongest response that seems to aim at deterring other countries from doing the same, particularly in the U. S. backyard, said Bonnie Glaser, director of the China Power Project at Center for International and Strategic Studies.
State Department officials said they plan to convey a clear message to governments in the region, including Honduras and Nicaragua, that switching diplomatic ties to China would harm their relationship with the United States.
On Friday, in a Tweet, Republican Senator Marco Rubio (R-Fla.) said El Salvador “will soon find out” about the repercussions.
“Leftist leaders of #ElSalvador were clearly told ahead of time that switching from #Taiwan to #China would have negative impact on relations with U. S., but they either didn’t believe it or didn’t care. They will soon find out that this @POTUS doesn’t bluff,” said Rubio.
Rubio had spoken with U. S. President Donald Trump about ending American aid to El Salvador. Rubio and fellow Republican Senator Cory Gardner (R-Colo.) plan legislation that could downgrade relations or suspend foreign aid to discourage other nations’ decision to cut ties with Taiwan.
