Dhe President of Honduras has announced that her government intends to establish diplomatic relations with China. Xiomara Castro tweeted Tuesday that she had instructed Foreign Minister Eduardo Reina to begin negotiations with Beijing. Castro had already promised such a step during the 2021 election campaign, but then did not implement it.
Although Castro did not comment explicitly on Taiwan, her announcement makes it clear that Honduras must give up its diplomatic relations with Taipei because the Chinese government is demanding it. Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry called on Honduras to “consider the decision carefully” and summoned the Honduran ambassador for talks.
In Latin America, Beijing’s efforts to win countries over to its side have been very successful in recent years. China is investing heavily in infrastructure projects and trade there. This has already persuaded Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador and Nicaragua to sever ties with Taiwan. In Honduras, China is pushing ahead with a large dam project.
Severing ties with Honduras would reduce the number of countries with which Taiwan has formal diplomatic ties to 13. In Latin America, Belize and Paraguay are also included. Relations with Paraguay are also on the brink. The opposition is considering establishing formal relations with Beijing if it wins the elections at the end of April.