On Sunday, Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which is becoming more and more isolated and is now only acknowledged by 13 sovereign states. As a result, Honduras now has diplomatic relations with China.
A joint statement was signed by the foreign ministers of China and Honduras in Beijing, and the Chinese Foreign Ministry praised this as “the right choice.”
The diplomatic triumph for China comes at a time when tensions between Beijing and Washington are rising, particularly over Beijing’s growing assertiveness towards Taiwan’s independence.
And it indicates expanding Chinese influence in South America. The proclamation of the new China-Honduras alliance came after the governments of Taiwan and Honduras separately declared their breakup.
Since their separation due to civil war in 1949, China and Taiwan have been engaged in a conflict for diplomatic recognition, with Beijing spending billions to advance its “one China” policy.
China rejects most connections with nations that retain formal links with the island democracy and asserts that Taiwan is a part of its territory that must be brought under its control by force, if necessary. Only for increasing contacts, it threatens retaliation against nations.
According to China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang, the development of connections showed that upholding the “one China” policy is “the general trend” and gaining the hearts of the populace.
We firmly tell the Taiwanese government that indulging in separatist operations is against the desire and interests of the Chinese people, goes against historical trends, and is doomed to failure, he said.
According to a tweet from the Honduras Foreign Ministry, Beijing is the “sole legitimate government that represents all of China” and that country acknowledges “only one China in the world.”
“Taiwan is an integral part of Chinese territory,” it said, “and as of today, the Honduran government has informed Taipei of the severance of diplomatic relations, committing not to have any official interaction with Taiwan or communication with Taiwan.”
At a press conference on Sunday, Taiwan’s foreign minister, Joseph Wu, stated that Taiwan had severed ties with Honduras in order to “safeguard its sovereignty and dignity.”
Wu claimed that prior to the Honduran presidential election in 2021, President Xiomara Castro and her staff had brought up the idea of cutting ties with China. He claimed that although relations between Taiwan and Honduras had previously been peaceful, China had continued to court Honduras.
According to Wu, Honduras had contrasted Taiwan’s aid plans with China’s and asked Taiwan for billions of dollars in assistance. He continued that about two weeks ago, the Honduran government requested $2.45 billion from Taiwan to construct a hospital and a dam as well as to pay off debts.
The ramifications of the recently established links between China and Honduras have been raised by analysts. Beijing would emphasise the advantages, such as investment and job creation, according to political analyst Graco Pérez in Honduras, but “it is all going to be false.”
Although other nations have developed similar relationships, Pérez stated that “it didn’t turn out to be what had been offered.”
China has been investing billions of dollars in infrastructure and investment projects in Latin America for many years. China and an increasing number of allies are becoming more powerful as a result of that investment.
In Honduras, it took the shape of the construction of a hydroelectric dam project in the country’s central region, which was carried out by the Chinese company SINOHYDRO with funding from the Chinese government totaling roughly $300 million.
Since pro-independence Tsai first assumed power in May 2016, Honduras is the eleventh diplomatic ally that Taipei has lost to Beijing.
Taiwan still maintains relations with Belize, Vatican City, Paraguay, and Guatemala in Latin America. Together with Eswatini in southern Africa, the majority of its remaining allies are island countries in the Caribbean and South Pacific.
Tsai will travel for ten days, stopping in Guatemala and Belize along the way. Lin announced last week that her group would also make stops in New York and Los Angeles.
Alexander Yui, vice minister of foreign affairs for Taiwan, had earlier stated that Tsai’s visit was meant to emphasise the island’s friendship with the two Latin American nations.
Although Wu claimed he lacked proof that the announcement’s timing was connected to Tsai’s travel, he did observe that “China seems to be doing this purposely.”
Taiwan nevertheless maintains strong informal links with more than 100 other nations, most especially the United States, despite China’s campaign of isolation.
Despite not having diplomatic ties with Taiwan, the United States has consistently emphasised Taipei’s significance as a partner in the Indo-Pacific.
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