Honduras to seek China relations, pressuring Taiwan ahead of US trip
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Loading... - Samuel Marwa
- 15 Mar 2023
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Honduran President Xiomara Castro said on Tuesday she had asked the country's foreign minister to open official relations with China, pressuring Taiwan ahead of a sensitive visit by President Tsai Ing-wen to the United States and Central America.
China does not allow countries with which it has diplomatic relations to maintain official ties with Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, a position Taiwan strongly disputes.
Castro had floated the idea of starting relations with China and cutting ties with Taiwan during her electoral campaign, but said in January 2022 she hoped to maintain ties with Taiwan.
If the Central American country does end relations with Taiwan, it will leave the island with only 13 diplomatic allies.
Opposition Honduran lawmaker Tomas Zambrano told local TV the decision would likely affect the country's relationship with the U.S., its top trade partner, noting that many families depend on remittances sent from the north.
The U.S. has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is its most important international backer and arms supplier, a consistent source of friction in Sino-U.S. relations. Read More…
