BEIJING (AP) — Honduras has severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the Latin American country announced on Saturday, saying it recognizes “only one China in the world.”
The Honduran Foreign Ministry’s announcement, which was posted on Twitter and also reported by China’s CCTV, comes amid rising tensions between Beijing and the United States, including China’s increasing assertiveness over self-governing Taiwan. This means that Taiwan is only recognized by 13 sovereign countries.
“The government of the Republic of Honduras recognizes the existence of only one China in the world and that the government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing all of China,” the ministry statement said.
She added, “Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and to date, the Honduran government has informed Taiwan of the termination of diplomatic ties and promised not to have any official ties or contacts with Taiwan.”
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Sunday the governments of Honduras and China are discussing establishing ties and that Taiwan has severed ties with Honduras to “preserve its sovereignty and dignity.”
Wu said that Honduran President Xiomara Castro and her team always have a “fantasy” about China and raised the issue of a liaison switch ahead of Honduras’ presidential election in 2021.
“Through Taiwan’s efforts in this matter, Taiwan-Honduras relations were stable at the beginning of Castro’s tenure, but China had not stopped luring Honduras,” Wu told a news conference.
Honduras is the ninth diplomatic ally Taipei has lost to Beijing since pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen first took office in May 2016.
China and Taiwan have been locked in a struggle for diplomatic recognition since the sides split in the civil war in 1949, with Beijing spending billions to win recognition for its “One China” policy.
China claims Taiwan is part of its territory, to be taken under its control by force if necessary, and refuses most contacts with countries that have formal ties with the island’s democracy. It threatens countries with retaliatory measures just for increasing their contacts.
Taiwan still maintains ties with Belize, Paraguay and Guatemala in Latin America, as well as Vatican City. Most of its remaining partners are island nations in the Caribbean and South Pacific, and Eswatini in southern Africa.
Despite China’s isolation campaign, Taiwan has maintained robust informal ties with more than 100 other countries, most notably the United States. The US has no diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but claims Taipei is a key partner in the Indo-Pacific.