U.S. re-evaluating relations with El Salvador after break with Taiwan

Aug. 24 (UPI) -- The United States said it's re-evaluating its relationship with El Salvador after it halted diplomatic relations with Taiwan in favor of a stronger bond with China.

Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi and Salvadoran counterpart Carlos Castaneda signed a joint communiqué on diplomatic relations in Beijing earlier this week.

"The Government of the Republic of El Salvador recognizes that there is but one China in the world, that the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legal government representing the whole of China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory," the communiqué said.

The White House late Thursday condemned what it views as interference by Beijing in the matter, but did not threaten any specific repercussions.

Taiwan officials said El Salvador demanded large amounts of cash to develop port infrastructure. China has denied it interfered.

"This is a decision that affects not just El Salvador, but also the economic health and security of the entire Americas region," White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said in a statement. "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 reevaluation of our relationship with El Salvador.

"Countries seeking to establish or expand relations with China in order to attract state-directed investment that will stimulate short-term economic growth and infrastructure development may be disappointed over the long run.

"Around the world, governments are waking up to the fact that China's economic inducements facilitate economic dependency and domination, not partnership."

Wang Dong, an international relations professor at Peking University, likened the situation to the Cold War.

"There's a growing view in China that the United States is now determined to balance against if not contain the rise of China. The security dilemma between China and the United States is increasingly deepening," he said.