“The plenum of the Central American Parliament approved by a majority of the votes the inclusion of the People’s Republic of China in PARLACEN as an observer state at the request of the Nicaraguan parliamentary faction,” PARLACEN wrote on social media on Monday.

Lawmakers said that the observer status that Taiwan had in the organization is illegal since Taiwan has no legal status and is considered by the UN as China’s province. Since the island is not a subject of international law and does not possess treaty-making capacity, it was expelled, the parliament said.

PARLACEN was created in 1991 with the aim to strengthen regional integration in Central America. The Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, Nicaragua, Panama and Salvador are member states of the parliament. Guatemala is the only member state that recognizes Taiwan as an independent state and maintains diplomatic ties with the island, while the other countries see Taiwan as one of China’s provinces.