LatinNews Daily - 10 September 2018

Central America: The US government recalled its ambassadors to the Dominican Republic (DR) (Robin Bernstein); El Salvador (Jean Manes); and its US Charge d’Affaires in Panama (Roxanne Cabral) for consultations related to recent decisions to no longer recognise Taiwan. El Salvador was the last country to end dipomatic ties with Taiwan in favour of mainland China, announced last month, while the DR switched ties in April 2018 and Panama in June 2017. In Central America, Costa Rica also has relations with Beijing while Guatemala, Honduras, and Nicaragua maintain ties with Taiwan. Also indicative of US-Central America tensions, on 9 September the international media reported that US government officials had postponed a high-level conference to discuss the Alliance for Prosperity plan for Central America's so-called 'Northern Triangle' countries (Guatemala, Honduras, and El Salvador). The media cited the US as postponing the meeting due to “scheduling conflicts” and with agreement by the participating countries. However, El Salvador said it was Washington’s decision to suspend the meeting and that it did not know the reason. Tensions have also emerged between the US and Northern Triangle countries over migration – in a visit at the end of June, US Vice President Mike Pence called on the Northern Triangle leaders to do more to stem the “exodus” of people trying to come to the US illegally.

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