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Honduras’ move is also a setback in Washington’s efforts to use its influence in Central America to prevent China from isolating Taiwan.
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By Amy Chang Chien and Emiliano Rodríguez Mega
TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — China has convinced Honduras to abandon official ties with Taiwan and identify them with Beijing, a blow to Taipei’s reputation abroad days before Taiwan’s president embarks on a Central American tour that will take her through the United States.
The replacement has reduced the small number of countries with ties to Taiwan, the democratic island Beijing claims as its territory, and has also thwarted Washington’s efforts to prop up Taiwan’s allies in Central America. Chinese leaders seek to isolate Taiwan as they ask it to settle for unification, while the United States seeks to bolster the island’s security and position.
Honduras’ loyalty would likely seem like a minor factor in the decades-long standoff between China and Taiwan, but the island’s diplomatic partners are now so few that any abandonment is a serious setback.
On Saturday the Honduran Foreign Ministry was terse, saying, in part: “Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory, and as of today, the government of Honduras has communicated to Taiwan the rupture of diplomatic relations, pledging not to have unofficial relations. . relations or contacts with Taiwan.
Joseph Wu, Taiwan’s foreign minister, told a news conference shortly after Honduras issued its statement that “China’s moves to reduce our country’s diplomatic space have severely damaged the feelings of fellow Taiwanese and accelerated the opposite direction of cross-Strait relations. “A message on Twitter from the Foreign Ministry expressed Taiwan’s “deep regret” over the end of relations.
China’s Foreign Ministry also weighed in on Sunday. “China greatly appreciates this,” it reads, calling Honduras’ resolution “selecting the right type in line with the general trend and in line with the will of the people. “
Without directly addressing Taiwan’s exit, Honduran government officials had said a few days earlier that building closer ties with China is key to improving the country’s economy.
“What we are going to identify through courtship with China is to make investments to triumph over the demanding situations facing the country,” Rodolfo Pastor de María y Campos, Secretary of State of Honduras, told reporters, who said he suffers with more than $20. . trillions in debt.
China and its investors have already demonstrated in the country, investing in a hydroelectric dam and exploring railway and port projects in the country.
The status quo in China-Honduras relations comes days before Taiwan’s President Tsai Ing-wen travels to Belize and Guatemala, Taiwan’s last two Latin American allies, to establish ties. it stops in the United States, which Beijing has protested.
In a Facebook post, President Tsai said China’s efforts to remove Taiwan’s foreign involvement “will not detract from the willingness of other Taiwanese to embrace freedom and democracy and move forward into the world. “
China demands that countries with which it has diplomatic relations renounce Taiwan’s popularity. Since Tsai took office in 2016, she has reduced the number of nations recognizing Taiwan as a country, rather than maintaining ties with China. Beijing has cut off top official contacts with Tsai’s government, accusing it of distancing Taiwan from China’s claims.
Only 12 countries and the Holy See now recognize Taiwan, up from 21 in early 2017. The last time Taiwan lost a diplomatic best friend was in 2021, when Nicaragua established diplomatic relations with China.
“This is definitely a coup,” said Lu Yeh-chung, a professor in the international relations branch of National Chengchi University in Taipei. “Formal diplomatic relations with small countries are very significant for Taiwan’s foreign status. “
Honduras’ move is a setback in Washington’s efforts to use its influence in Central America to help prevent China from isolating Taiwan on the world stage. The State Department said President Biden sent an envoy to Honduras this month, and it was announced after Honduras indicated it would replace ties.
“It’s easy for Washington to be disappointed when countries like Honduras replace their alliance from Taiwan to Beijing,” said Mitch Hayes, an expert on China’s relations with Latin America and director of Veracity Worldwide, a political threat consulting firm in New York. “But they want to perceive that this is a fairly rational strategy for a small country and emerging economies. We can expect to see more in the coming years. “
China and Taiwan have long engaged in what some analysts have described as “checkbook diplomacy” to lure countries through offers and loans. Wu, Taiwan’s foreign minister, told the legislature on Thursday that Honduras had demanded a “high price” from Taiwan.
Antonio Garcia, Honduras’ deputy foreign minister, showed in an interview Friday that since last September Honduras has asked for $2 billion in loans in at least 4 meetings and dinners with Taiwanese officials.
“The technique was ‘Help us, we want to give results, it’s going to be a relief. We don’t ask you to give us anything for free, we’ll give it back to you,'” M. Garcia, adding that the loan would be used to pay off part of the country’s debt.
Garcia said he had two conversations with Taiwanese officials about a loan and won a non-binding reaction time. “They listened conscientiously and told us that they would do the respective consultations with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei,” he said.
Wu, Taiwan’s foreign minister, said at Sunday’s press conference that in addition to the $2 billion loan, Honduras also asked Taiwan to spend $45 million on a hospital structure and $300 million on a dam structure. But then it goes up the numbers to $90 million and $350 million.
In the days leading up to the official pause, Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said it had expressed “serious concern” to Honduras and warned the country to take cash from China.
“We need to remind the Honduran government that since it is plagued by debt problems, don’t drink poison to quench its thirst, otherwise it will fall into the Chinese debt trap,” said Jeff Liu, a spokesman for Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry. a recent press conference.
Edward Wong contributed to the report.
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