Honduras Eyeing Official Relations With China

Honduras is eyeing to have official diplomatic relations with China, which would end its official relationship with the autonomous island of Taiwan.

Al Jazeera reported that Honduran President Xiomara Castro made the announcement on Tuesday on Twitter, noting that she had instructed her foreign minister to start the process of acknowledging China.

She said in her 2021 election campaign that she would change her ties to Beijing before her team backtracked.

Meanwhile, Taiwan's foreign ministry is aware of the situation with the switch of Honduras. Its spokesman, Jeff Liu, said by phone to Bloomberg that they are trying to get more details on the matter.

Latin America and the Pacific have some of its countries recognizing Taiwan over China. Nicaragua has also been one of the countries that severed its diplomatic relations with China a year and a half ago.

In 2019, some Pacific countries, including the Solomon Islands, switched their connections to Beijing.

Beijing and Taiwan have been in a continuous battle of tug-of-war over its territories, with Beijing viewing Taiwan as its own territory and having no right to state-to-state ties.

Meanwhile, Taipei rejects such notions about their nation.

Honduras's Relations With China

Castro noted in her tweet that her decision was based on her "determination to fulfill the government plan and expand borders."

Honduras's foreign ministry has yet to comment on the matter, as reported by U.S. News.

Honduras breaking away from Taiwan would mean that Taipei would be left with 13 countries with formal diplomatic ties.

U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris attended Castro's inauguration, with the U.S. official telling Castro in their meeting that she would like to congratulate her publicly on her victory.

Meanwhile, a senior U.S. official also noted at the time that they appreciate the "constructive role" that Taiwan has participated in advancing development in Honduras, as cited by Nikkei Asia.

The senior official said that they hope they will continue to play that constructive role.

Taiwan has also ramped up efforts to sway Honduras's decision.

Latin America Region Relations With China

A Council on Foreign Relations report in April 2020 that China has had a growing role in Latin America since 2000, promising economic opportunity while raising concerns over Beijing's influence on the region.

Beijing has also extended its diplomatic, cultural, and military presence and has upped its support in the region in the fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by supplying Latin America with medical equipment, loans, and millions of vaccine doses.

The U.S. and its allies claimed that Beijing is using its relationship with Latin America to pursue its "geopolitical goals," including leaving Taiwan isolated while also amping its authoritarian regimes.

Most Latin American countries acknowledged Mao Zedong's communist government after U.S. President Richard Nixon's trip to Beijing in 1972.

The Chinese market accounted for less than two percent of Latin America's exports in 2000. It grew to $450 billion by 2021, with economists predicting that it could surpass $700 billion by 2035.

This article is owned by Latin Post.

Written by: Mary Webber

WATCH: Get to know Honduras’ first woman president Xiomara Castro - from Reuters