Honduras President Xiomara Castro expressed her desire to open official diplomatic relations with the Chinese government, which would formally end the country's current relationship with the self-governed island of Taiwan.
During her 2021 election campaign, the leader said that she was planning to switch Honduras' ties from Taiwan to Beijing before backtracking. On Tuesday, she posted on Twitter that she had already ordered her foreign minister to start the process of recognizing the People's Republic of China.
Honduras' Diplomatic Relations with China
In her post, she wrote that the decision was a "sign of my determination to comply with the Government Plan and expand borders freely." The country's foreign minister, Eduardo Reina, later said that they had to look at things pragmatically to seek the best benefit for the country's people.
On the other hand, Taiwan's Foreign Ministry said it expressed serious concerns regarding the situation to the Honduran government. It also urged officials to reconsider their decision and avoid falling into China's "trap," as per Aljazeera.
Despite her announcement, Castro did not mention Taiwan in the Twitter post. However, if they recognize Beijing, China does not allow countries to maintain formal relations with the self-governing island nation.
Several analysts have argued that Honduras' decision was not unexpected, given Castro's comments during her campaign and recent discussions with China regarding financial assistance. Reina announced in February that Beijing would provide the money needed to construct another dam along the Patuka River.
The Taiwan and East Asia Studies Programme director at the University of St. Thomas in Texas, Yao-yuan Yeh, said they were somewhat prepared for Honduras' decision. However, they added that it could result in public panic in the self-governing island nation because another country has again abandoned it.
Read Also: Russia-Ukraine War Update
Recognizing Taiwan
The situation comes as Beijing continues to assert that Taiwan is part of its territory and sees diplomatic recognition of the island as interfering in its affairs. According to the Associated Press, the Chinese government has isolated Taiwan diplomatically with a longtime campaign against such recognition using its "one-China" policy.
The Honduran foreign minister said in January 2022 that the country would continue strengthening its ties with Taiwan and noted that establishing diplomatic relations with China was not one of Castro's priorities.
On the other hand, opposition lawmaker Tomas Zambrano said that Castro's decision would most likely affect Honduras' relationship with the United States, which is its top trade partner. He noted that many families currently depend on remittances sent from the north.
While the US has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, it is the self-governing island nation's most important international backer and arms supplier. The situation is a constant source of political friction in Sino-US relations.
One source who was familiar with the matter in Taiwan noted that the self-governing island nation needs to exhaust "every possible means" to maintain diplomatic relations with Honduras, said Reuters.
Related Article: China Criticizes AUKUS Alliance
