WASHINGTON - U.S. Senator Jim Risch (R-Idaho), ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, U.S. Representative Michael McCaul (R-Texas), chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, and U.S. Senator Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, released the following statement after the Central American Parliament (PARLACEN) expelled Taiwan and admitted China as a permanent observer yesterday.
“We strongly condemn the decision of PARLACEN to expel Taiwan and admit the People’s Republic of China as a permanent observer. Taiwan has long been a strategic democratic partner for Central American countries, and played an important role aiding economic development and the rule of law. The presence of the People’s Republic of China and the influence of the Chinese Communist Party in PARLACEN is an affront to our shared democratic values in the Americas, and undermines the security and stability of our hemisphere."