Honduras is shifting its international relations by officially approaching Beijing. “I have instructed the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Eduardo Reina, to manage the opening of official relations with the People’s Republic of China,” Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced on Twitter on Tuesday March 14.
This decision should de facto lead to a rupture between Honduras and Taiwan, since Communist China, which claims sovereignty over Taiwan, does not accept that countries can have diplomatic relations both with it and with Taipei.
“We ask Honduras to think carefully and not fall into the trap of China by making a wrong decision that will damage the long-term friendship between Taiwan and Honduras,” the Taiwanese foreign ministry responded in a statement. communicated.
Only fourteen countries in the world recognize Taiwan, including Paraguay, Haiti, the Vatican and several small island nations in the Caribbean and Pacific.
Xiomara Castro, who took office in early 2022, announced before coming to power his intention to “immediately” recognize China. But Tegucigalpa later said relations with Taiwan were continuing, following a visit by Taiwanese Vice President William Lai for Castro’s inauguration.
Dams funded by Beijing
Ms. Castro’s tweet “does not clarify what kind of relationship” Honduras wants to have with Beijing, noted Honduran analyst Raul Pineda. “If it comes to diplomatic relations, it will lead to a break with Taiwan and a distancing from the United States,” he added, as relations between Washington and Beijing are currently very tense.
On January 1, 2023, the head of Honduran diplomacy met with Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Xie Feng on the sidelines of the inauguration ceremony of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva. On February 2, Mr. Reina announced negotiations with China to build a hydroelectric dam, while denying that Tegucigalpa wanted to recognize Beijing diplomatically. China had already financed another dam in Honduras to the tune of 300 million dollars (about 279 million euros), inaugurated in 2021 by the then president, Juan Orlando Hernandez.
Latin America has been an important diplomatic battleground between Beijing and Taipei since 1949, when the Communists took power in mainland China and the Nationalist government took refuge on the island of Taiwan. Aligned with Washington, all Central American countries have remained linked to Taiwan for decades. But today, only Honduras, Guatemala and Belize maintain ties with the island. Costa Rica (in 2007), Panama (2017), El Salvador (2018) and Nicaragua (2021) broke with Taipei and recognized Beijing.
