Initiated several days ago, the turnaround is now complete: Honduras announced on Saturday March 25 the severance of its diplomatic relations with Taiwan, eleven days after indicating that it would establish official ties with Beijing.
Foreign Minister Enrique Reina, “on the instructions of the President of the Republic [Xiomara Castro], communicated to Taiwan the decision to sever diplomatic relations” between the two territories, the ministry said in a statement.
This announcement comes two days after a visit to Beijing by Mr. Reina, supported by Ms. Castro, to discuss the establishment of bilateral diplomatic ties. In the name of its “one China” principle, Beijing claims that Taiwan is part of its territory and does not allow foreign countries to maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei.
On his Twitter account on March 14, Xiomara Castro announced that he had asked Enrique Reina to establish “official” relations with China.
“The government of the Republic of Honduras recognizes the existence of 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 foreign ministry said. Honduran. “Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory,” the ministry continued, adding that it pledged from Saturday to “no longer have any official relationship or contact” with Taiwan.
Honduras has ‘illusions about China’
In response, Taiwan’s foreign minister warned Honduras that it might be disappointed with Chinese promises of economic aid.
“President Castro and her leadership team have illusions about China and raised the issue of recognition change during the election campaign,” said Joseph Wu. Honduras with financial incentives. »
Relations between Beijing and Taipei have soured since the election in 2016 as Taiwanese president of Tsai Ing-wen, from a party traditionally in favor of a formal declaration of independence for the island.
Since then, Beijing has snatched the diplomatic recognition of eight countries from Taipei. With this decision by Honduras, only thirteen nations remain to officially recognize Taiwan, which still has ties with Belize, Paraguay and Guatemala in Latin America, and Vatican City. Most of its remaining partners are island nations in the Caribbean and South Pacific, as well as Eswatini in southern Africa.
Despite China’s diplomatic isolation campaign, however, Taiwan has forged international partnerships through other channels, and maintains strong informal ties with more than a hundred other countries, primarily the United States. Washington has no diplomatic relations with Taiwan but maintains that Taipei is an important partner in the Indo-Pacific.
