Three Marshall Islands members of parliament have attacked the Majuro Chamber of Commerce over a letter it sent to the Speaker, in which it condemned a visit by several MPs to China last month.
The trip had sparked controversy because the Marshall Islands supports Taiwan and had raised fears that of a possible change in allegiance to Beijing.
In an oversight hearing, Senator Hiroshi Yamamura says by going to the media with his concerns the Chamber president Jack Niedenthal was ruining the reputations of MPs.
Mr Niedenthal told the meeting that the Chamber was concerned that a change in ties from Taiwan would be bad for business.
But he accepted that the Chamber had broken Marshallese custom by using harsh words such as condemn.
