China considers the island of Taiwan, which has a population of 23 million, to be one of its provinces that has not yet managed to reunite with the rest of its territory.
Diplomatic relations between Taipei and Tegucigalpa are strained. This Sunday, China and Honduras established diplomatic ties, a setback for Taiwan, which is still losing an ally and has denounced Beijing’s “coercion and intimidation.”
A few hours earlier, Tegucigalpa had announced that it would sever its ties with Taipei, which is now only recognized by 13 countries in the world.
“The two governments have decided to recognize each other and establish diplomatic relations,” China’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
signatures and congratulations
China considers the island of Taiwan, home to 23 million people, to be one of its provinces that it has not reunited with the rest of its territory since the end of the civil war.
The conflict, concluded in 1949, pitted the communists (who eventually took power in mainland China) against the nationalist army (which was forced to retreat to the island).
In seven decades, the communist army has never been able to conquer the island, which has remained under the control of the “Republic of China” — which once ruled all of China and now governs only Taiwan.
During a ceremony in Beijing, Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina signed a document with his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang recognizing the establishment of diplomatic relations. They then toasted in front of a series of flags of their countries.
“Dead end”
“We would be delighted to welcome (Honduran) President Xiomara Castro to China as soon as possible,” Qin Gang said, hailing the bilateral relationship “which will benefit both countries and their peoples.”
“Let’s send this message to the Taiwanese authorities: promoting independence and separatism in Taiwan, acting against the will and interests of the Chinese nation (…) is a dead end,” he said.
In the name of the “one China principle,” Beijing does not allow foreign countries to maintain diplomatic relations with it and Taipei at the same time.
In a press release from his ministry published Saturday night, Enrique Reina said he had informed Taiwan of “the decision to sever diplomatic relations.”
In response, Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Sunday accused Honduras of “self-deceiving” about Chinese promises of economic aid.
At a press conference in Taipei, he also accused Tegucigalpa of having bid too much in recent weeks to get funding.