Relationship dossier
El Salvador
Taiwan
Relationship assessment
Former cooperation gave way to a diplomatic break after El Salvador recognized the People’s Republic of China
El Salvador toward Taiwan
-35El Salvador ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan in August 2018 and recognized the People’s Republic of China, terminating the formal bilateral relationship.
Taiwan toward El Salvador
-15Before the 2018 diplomatic break, Taiwan provided El Salvador with development assistance and other bilateral cooperation. Taiwan’s government opposed the severing of relations.
Overall relationship
-25The relationship combined earlier development cooperation with a major diplomatic rupture in 2018. El Salvador’s recognition of the People’s Republic of China displaced its formal relationship with Taiwan, leaving the bilateral relationship substantially weakened.
How to read these scores
Scores are rough judgments, not objective measurements or current verification. Directional scores describe government policy and conduct, not public opinion. The overall score is an independent estimate, never an average.
- −100
- Extreme sustained hostility
- −50
- Substantially adversarial
- 0
- Mixed or neutral, supported by knowledge
- +50
- Substantially cooperative
- +100
- Exceptionally close sustained partnership
“Not assessed” means there is no recorded score. Pair existence makes no claim about diplomatic recognition or established relations.
Relationship context
Overview
El Salvador ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 2018 and recognized the People’s Republic of China. Before the break, Taiwan provided development assistance and other bilateral cooperation. The shift in diplomatic recognition substantially weakened the relationship, though earlier cooperation is also part of its history.
Areas of tension
- El Salvador’s 2018 termination of diplomatic relations with Taiwan and recognition of the People’s Republic of China
Key developments
El Salvador ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan and recognized the People’s Republic of China.
Major uncertainties
- The scale and status of Taiwan-supported projects and exchanges after the diplomatic break are unclear.