Honduras Builds Ties With China After Cutting Ties With Taiwan

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From Associated Press

March 26, 2023 | 5:38 a.m

Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina Garcia, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shake hands after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries March 26, 2023. AP

Honduras established diplomatic ties with China on Sunday after cutting ties with Taiwan, which has become increasingly isolated and is now recognized by only 13 sovereign states, including Vatican City.

The foreign ministers of China and Honduras signed a joint communiqué in Beijing – a decision the Chinese foreign ministry hailed as “the right choice”.

The new ties come amid rising tensions between Beijing and the United States, including China’s increasing assertiveness over self-governing Taiwan, and signal growing Chinese influence in Latin America. The new China-Honduras ties were announced after the Honduran and Taiwanese governments separately announced they would sever ties.

The Honduran Foreign Ministry said in a statement on Twitter that its government recognizes “only one China in the world” and that Beijing is “the only legitimate government representing all of China.”

Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu, center, prepares to address a news conference after Honduras announced it would cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan March 26, 2023 in Taipei, Taiwan, AP

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 told a news conference on Sunday that Taiwan had severed its ties with Honduras to “preserve its sovereignty and dignity.”

Wu said that Honduran President Xiomara Castro and her team have always had a “fantasy” about China and raised the issue of a shift in ties ahead of Honduras’ 2021 presidential election. Taiwan-Honduras relations were once stable, he said, but China hasn’t stopped luring Honduras.

Honduras has asked Taiwan for billions of dollars in aid and compared its proposals with China’s, Wu said. About two weeks ago, the Honduran government asked Taiwan for $2.45 billion to build a hospital and dam and write off debt, he added.

“The Castro government has rejected our nation’s long-standing aid and ties and held talks to establish diplomatic ties with China. Our government feels pained and regretted,” he said.

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen said her government “will not engage in meaningless dollar diplomacy competition with China.”

“In recent years, China has persistently used various means to suppress Taiwan’s international involvement, escalate the military invasion, and disrupt regional peace and stability,” she said in a recorded video.

Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina Garcia, left, and Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang raise a toast after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries March 26, 2023.AP

Her office spokeswoman Olivia Lin said in a statement that the ties between the two sides have lasted for more than 80 years.

Analysts have warned of the impact of the newly formed China-Honduras relationship. Honduran political scientist Graco Pérez said Beijing’s narrative would emphasize benefits, including investment and job creation, “but it will all be illusory.”

Pérez noted that some other countries have developed such relationships, but “it didn’t turn out to be what was offered.”

For decades, China has poured billions of dollars into capital and infrastructure projects across Latin America. This investment has led to growing Chinese power and a growing number of allies.

In Honduras, this has taken the form of the construction of a hydroelectric dam project in central Honduras, built by the Chinese company SINOHYDRO with around US$300 million in funding from the Chinese government.

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.

The Honduran national flag flew on the vacant third pole left in front of the Diplomatic Quarter building in Taipei, Taiwan, on March 26, 2023.AP

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.

Tsai will embark on a 10-day trip on Wednesday that will include visits to Guatemala and Belize. Her delegation will also stop in New York and Los Angeles, Lin said last week. Taiwan’s Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Yui earlier said the purpose of Tsai’s trip is to highlight the island’s friendship with the two Latin American countries.

Wu said he has no evidence that the timing of the announcement is related to Tsai’s trip, but noted that “it appears that China is doing this on purpose.”

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.

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