Honduras establishes diplomatic relations with China and breaks with Taiwan
Honduran President Xiomara Castro in Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic, March 25, 2022. (Illustrative photo) AP - Ariana Cubillos
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3 min
China and Honduras established diplomatic relations on Sunday (March 26th), less than two weeks after the announcement of a desire for rapprochement between the two countries. A setback for Taiwan, which still loses an ally and denounces Beijing's "coercion and intimidation".
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A few hours before formalizing the establishment of diplomatic relations with Beijing, Tegucigalpa had announced the severance of its ties with Taipei. With this agreement between Honduras and China, Taiwan is now recognized by only 13 states in the world.
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China and Honduras have just established diplomatic relations " tweeted Hua Chunying, a spokeswoman for China's Foreign Ministry. She accompanied her short message with a photo of Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shaking hands with his Honduran counterpart Enrique Reina, currently in Beijing.
China believes that the island of Taiwan, with a population of 23 million, is one of its provinces, which it has yet to reunite with the rest of its territory since the end of the Chinese civil war. Ending in 1949, the conflict pitted the Communists, who eventually took power in mainland China, against the Nationalist army, which was forced to retreat to the island. In seven decades, the communist army has never been able to conquer the island, which has remained under the control of the Republic of China, which once ruled all of China and now governs only Taiwan.
► Read also: Why Honduras wants to establish diplomatic relations with China to the detriment of Taiwan
« One China »
In the name of the "One China" principle, Beijing does not allow foreign countries to maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei. However, the island has forged international partnerships through other channels. In a statement from his ministry published Saturday evening, March 25, Enrique Reina had indicated that "on the instruction" of the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, he had "communicated to Taiwan the decision to break diplomatic relations".
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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 to represent all of China. ", according to the same source.
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Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory " the ministry continued, adding that it was committed from Saturday to no longer have any official relations or contacts with Taiwan.
► Read also: For Beijing, the recognition of the "single China" is "not negotiable"
« A series of coercions and intimidation by China »
In response, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu on Sunday accused Honduras of "deluding itself" about Chinese promises of economic aid. "China has not stopped trying to attract Honduras with financial incentives," he told a news conference in Taipei.
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The severance of diplomatic relations between our country and Honduras is part of a series of coercions and intimidation by China President Tsai Ing-wen's office said in a statement, before continuing: "China has been reducing (Taiwan's) place on the international stage for a long time, unilaterally endangering regional peace and stability.
»Chinese authorities have sought to diplomatically isolate Taiwan since 2016 and the election on the island of a president from a pro-independence party. In recent years, Beijing has wrested several Latin American allies from Taipei such as the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.
Among the states that still have diplomatic relations with Taiwan are the Vatican, Eswatini, Paraguay, Pacific island nations and Haiti.
At the same time, however, international support for Taipei has increased. In recent years, several delegations of Western parliamentarians or ministers have visited the island, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between their countries and Taiwan.
(With AFP)
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Read on on the same topics:
- Honduras
- China
- Taiwan
- Diplomacy
- Xiomara Castro
- Tsai Ing-wen