US says El Salvador's decision to discontinue diplomatic ties with Taiwan 'a grave concern'

El Salvador's switching of diplomatic ties to China from Taiwan was a "grave concern" to the United States, a White House statement said, after the self-ruled island lost its latest ally to Beijing earlier this week.

The statement, issued late on Thursday night from Washington, said El Salvador's decision to discontinue diplomatic relations with Taipei will have implications for decades. It also said the United States will continue to oppose China's destabilisation of the cross-strait relationship and political interference in the Western hemisphere.

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

Democratic Taiwan vowed earlier this week to fight China's "increasingly out of control" behaviour after El Salvador became the third country this year to switch allegiance to China from Taiwan.