China has spent the last 40 years trying to isolate the island, which it considers a renegade province, by offering economic support to its diplomatic allies. Honduras is one of 14 countries that still diplomatically recognize Taipei instead of Beijing, but that is now changing.
In a tweet, Castro said he had tasked the foreign minister of Honduras with “managing the opening of official relations with the People’s Republic of China.”
According to the British newspaper The Guardian, the move follows just weeks after the Castro government announced it would negotiate with China over the construction of Patuca II, a hydroelectric dam. Taiwan’s foreign ministry has expressed “serious concerns” over Castro’s announcement. Taiwan hopes Honduras does not “fall into China’s trap” and destroy the long-standing friendship between the two nations.
Taiwan is a sincere and reliable ally. Our country has always assisted Honduras in its national development to the best of its ability. China’s only goal in developing relations with Honduras is to reduce our country’s international space; it has no genuine intention to cooperate for the benefit of the Honduran people,” the ministry said in a statement.
Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Reina said during a television appearance yesterday that “we look at things very pragmatically and seek the best for the Honduran people.” China has welcomed the move, saying it wants “friendly relations with all the countries of the world based on the principle that there is only one China”.
Countryside
Castro came to power in 2021 after a landslide victory. He has campaigned with a radical agenda in which he pledged to end years of poor governance in Honduras, which has been plagued by corruption and scandals. She has pledged to alleviate poverty and liberalize abortion laws. During his presidential campaign, Castro said in his foreign policy manifesto that the Central American country wanted to establish diplomatic ties with Beijing.
180 degrees
However, in January 2022, its transition team told Reuters that “the new government will maintain relations with Taiwan”. His latest tweet suggests that he has now switched sides. If Honduras cuts ties with Taiwan, Taipei would have formal diplomatic ties with just 13 countries, mostly small Pacific and Latin American countries.
According to Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Taiwan maintains diplomatic relations with Eswatini, Holy See, Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Tuvalu, Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Paraguay, Honduras, Federation of Saint Christopher and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.