March 15, 202306:00
President Castro’s move could result in the severing of all ties with Taipei, which Beijing sees as an “inalienable” part of its territory and today has official ties with 14 countries around the world
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L’Honduras decided to establish diplomatic relations with the China. The President announced this on Twitter Xiomara Castrowithout specifying whether the move will result in breaking all connections with Taiwan. “I have directed Secretary of State Eduardo Reina to establish official relations with the People’s Republic of China as a sign of my determination to adhere to the government’s plan and freely expand borders together with the nations of the world,” Castro wrote. Today Taipeiwhich is an “inalienable” part of Beijing’s territory, maintains official relations with 14 countries around the world.
Castro, Honduras’ first female president, had promised during her campaign to “immediately establish diplomatic and commercial ties with China,” but in January 2022 she said she hoped to maintain ties with Taiwan. Over time, Beijing has increased pressure to reduce the rebel province’s international footprint, not allowing countries with which it has diplomatic ties to maintain official ties with the island, considering it part of its territory.
The Honduran government announced a few weeks ago that it is negotiating with Beijing on a project to build a hydroelectric power station, called Patuca II, to help the country increase its energy supply. China has already funded the construction of another dam (Patuca III) with a $300 million loan, which was inaugurated in 2021 by then-President Juan Orlando Hernandez.
The tug of war between Beijing and Taipei Latin America has been a source of tension between Beijing and Taipei. Allied to Washington, all Central American countries had maintained ties with Taiwan for decades, now limited to Honduras, Guatemala and Belize. Over the past decade, Costa Rica (2007), Panama (2017), El Salvador (2018) and Nicaragua (2021) have severed ties with Taipei and forged ties with Beijing, which had pressured diplomatic allies Taipei for years. In all, only 14 countries in the world recognize Taiwan, including the Vatican (the only European state), Paraguay, Haiti and seven other small island nations in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Taiwan: “Wrong decision, Honduras does not fall into Beijing’s trap” Taiwan’s condemnation came immediately. “We urge Honduras to consider the issue carefully and not fall into China’s trap of making the wrong decision to damage the long-standing friendship between Taiwan and Honduras,” the island’s foreign ministry said in a statement after speaking up an initial opinion had limited the “need to better understand the situation”.
Taiwan, China is still expanding military exercises around the island
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