Honduras opens embassy in China after breaking ties with Taiwan

Honduras opened its embassy in Beijing on Sunday, according to the Chinese state media, after it severed diplomatic ties with Chinese Taipei (Taiwan) earlier this year.

The two countries foreign ministers opened the embassy as Honduran President Xiomara Castro started her state visit to China after establishing formal diplomatic relations in March.

This was in a diplomatic exchange of the inauguration of China’s Embassy in Tegucigalpa, Honduras capital.

Honduran President Castro has arrived in China on Friday, starting what is called by both sides a “historic visit,” during which she is to meet with her Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping. She is the first Honduran President to pay a state visit to China.

During her stay in Shanghai, she visited the headquarters of the New Development Bank, a bank established by the BRICS nations, which includes Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa. Honduras requested admission to the bank, Castro’s office tweeted Saturday.

“We are delighted to visit China and will travel with the President to several cities so that we can strengthen our bilateral relations, fostering an everlasting China-Honduras friendship,” Hector Zelaya, Castro’ secretary said in an interview with the China Media Group (CMG) ahead of the visit.

Honduras’ agricultural exports to the Chinese market, extending China’s investment in Honduras, and collaborative endeavors under the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), forging paths towards shared development and connectivity between the two countries are the issues discussed in Castro’s visit to Beijing.

“China looks forward to working with Honduras and taking this visit as an opportunity to deepen mutual trust, expand cooperation, enhance friendship, and promote the steady and sustained development of the bilateral relations,” said Wang Wenbin, spokesperson for the Chinese Foreign Ministry on Wednesday.

Honduras to establish diplomatic relations with China

Honduras

Tegucigalpa in March ended its decades-long relationship with Chinese Taipei and officially established diplomatic ties with Beijing, becoming the latest in a string of countries to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

Beijing promotes the globally-accepted “one China” principle in its international relations. According to the principle, Chinese Taipei is subject to Chinese sovereignty and Beijing is the sole representative of all China.

China prohibits its own diplomatic partners from having formal ties with Taipei and now Taiwan has formal diplomatic relations with only 13 countries, mostly poor and developing countries in Central America, the Caribbean and the Pacific.

Attorney general of Honduras, Manuel Antonio Diaz, said that no country can ignore China’s status and role in the global economy, finance and trade. According to Chinese Customs statistics, trade between China and Honduras reached $1.589 billion in 2022.

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