Panama President asks US to respect its decision to cut ties with Taiwan

A statement from President of Panama Juan Carlos Varela followed the decision of the Trump admin. to recall top US diplomats from 3 Central American Countries

Taiwan News
Date: 2018/09/10
By: Duncan DeAeth, Taiwan News, Staff Writer

TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – In a statement made on Sunday Sept. 9, the President of Panama Juan Carlos Varela asked the United States to respect the decision of his country’s government to recognize the government of China and abandon diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

The statement followed the decision of the United States to recall its envoys from three Central American countries, including El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, and Panama on Friday, Sept. 7 over the issue of breaking diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

The United States has made it clear that following the rupture of ties between El Salvador and Taiwan in August, that Taiwan’s diplomatic relations and conversely, Chinese influence in Central America are serious concerns of the Trump administration.

AFP quoted the Panamanian President’s statement as saying “We respect the sovereign decisions of other countries and we will always ask the same respect for ours.”
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