Ma said that ties between the Republic of China on Taiwan and El Salvador go back a long way. He said that since 1961, the two countries have been on friendly terms. Ma also said trade between the two nations has grown several times since they forged a free trade agreement.
Meanwhile, Ma thanked El Salvador for supporting the Republic of China on Taiwan's meaningful participation in international organizations. Ma said he hopes El Salvador will continue to support Taiwan's bids to join the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).El Salvador is one of the twenty-three countries that recognizes Taiwan as the sole legitimate government of the whole of China (twelve are from the Americas). The two countries already have a free trade agreement that went into effect in March 2008.
I haven't come across much about their military relationship except that El Salvador is one of several countries with soldiers training at Taiwan's Military Academy
At the moment, the academy is hosting 17 foreign trainees from Burkina Faso, Gambia, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Guatemala and Honduras. “Such exchange programs play a contributing role in cementing diplomatic ties with our allies,” Chuan said.
It doesn't appear that El Salvador's relationship with Taiwan (rather than China) has caused any trouble within the FMLN. Some FMLN traveled to the Communist countries during the civil war for training and education while military officials went to Taiwan for training.
Competition with Taiwan is another issue to think about when trying to evaluate China's presence in Latin America. The search for natural resources and trade opportunities is obviously a consideration, but so is its competition with Taiwan for international recognition.
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