Honduras is set to switch diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China in the latest Latin American country to flip in Beijing’s favor.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced on Twitter that she had instructed the country’s foreign minister to begin the opening of relations with China.
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“I have instructed Chancellor Eduardo Reina to manage the opening of official relations with the People’s Republic of China, as a sign of my determination to comply with the Government Plan and expand the borders freely in concert with the nations of the world,” Castro tweeted on Tuesday.
He instruido al Canciller Eduardo Reina, para que gestione la apertura de relaciones oficiales con la República Popular China, como muestra de mi determinación para cumplir el Plan de Gobierno y expandir las fronteras con libertad en el concierto de las naciones del mundo.
— Xiomara Castro de Zelaya (@XiomaraCastroZ) March 14, 2023
Though not explicitly mentioned in the tweet, a precondition for opening up relations with China is the severing of ties with Taiwan, which China, and most of the world, considers a part of the People’s Republic of China.
The switching of ties from Taiwan to China is the latest switch of a Latin American nation, a region that has seen increased Chinese influence in recent years.
With Honduras out of the picture, Taiwan now only retains diplomatic ties with 13 countries. Two of those are located in Latin America: Guatemala and Paraguay.
Castro’s move to break with Taiwan had been long feared; it was suspected by many that Castro planned to break with Taiwan upon her victory, largely due to it being the stated policy of her 2017 running mate, but she had surprised Taiwan supporters by stating her intention to retain relations with Taiwan upon her inauguration in January 2022, according to the Diplomat.
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It is currently unclear what made her government change its mind. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was “in the process of understanding” the decision, according to Taiwan’s Central News Agency.
Hunduras’s break with Taiwan ends a relationship established between the two in 1941 when the Republic of China was still in control of most of the Chinese mainland.
