- Honduras seeks official ties with China
- This move risks further reducing Taiwan’s pool of allies
- Besides Honduras, Taipei has formal relations with only 13 countries
TEGUCIGALPA/TAIPEI, March 14 (Portal) – Honduran President Xiomara Castro said Tuesday she has instructed the country’s foreign minister to bring about the establishment of official ties with China, a move that threatens to further narrow Taiwan’s dwindling pool of allies.
The leader of the Central American country had floated the idea of cutting ties with Taiwan and establishing ties with China during her election campaign, but said in January 2022 she hoped to maintain ties with Taiwan.
China does not allow countries with which it has diplomatic relations to maintain official ties with Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory with no right to interstate relations.
If Honduras ends ties with Taiwan, it will leave the island with just 13 diplomatic allies.
Opposition Honduran lawmaker Tomas Zambrano told local TV the decision is likely to hurt the country’s relationship with the US, its main trading partner, noting that many families depend on remittances from the north.
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The US has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but is its main international sponsor and arms supplier, a constant source of tension in Sino-US relations.
“We have to look at things very pragmatically and seek the best benefit for the Honduran people,” Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Reina told local television on Tuesday.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it had expressed serious concern to the Honduran government, urging it to carefully consider its decision and not “fall into China’s trap.”
A source familiar with the situation in Taiwan said the island must use “every possible means” to maintain diplomatic ties with Honduras.
In December 2021, Nicaragua broke long-standing ties with Taiwan, switched allegiance to China, and declared that “Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory.”
The US State Department at the time had encouraged countries to maintain ties with Taiwan, saying Nicaragua’s decision did not reflect the will of the people because its government was not freely elected.
The US State Department did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Honduras.
Within Latin America, Guatemala, Belize and Paraguay are among the few countries remaining among Taipei’s allies.
Reporting by Gustavo Palencia in Tegucigalpa, Ben Blanchard and Sarah Wu in Taipei, and Valentine Hilaire in Mexico City; Edited by Sarah Morland, Shri Navaratnam and Himani Sarkar
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