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BEIJING (AP) — Honduras struck diplomatic ties with China on Sunday after severing ties with Taiwan, which is recognized only by 13 sovereign states, including the Vatican City.
The announcement, reported by Chinese state media CCTV, comes after the governments of Honduras and Taiwan separately announced the severing of diplomatic ties.
In a statement posted on Twitter, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Honduras said: “The government of the Republic of Honduras recognizes the sole existence of China in the world and the government of the People’s Republic of China as the only legitimate government representing all of China.” said. .
“Taiwan is an integral part of China’s territory, and as of today, the Honduran government has notified Taiwan of the severance of diplomatic relations and promised not to have official relations or contact with Taiwan,” it added.
Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said on Sunday that Taiwan had ended its relationship with Honduras to “defend its sovereignty and dignity.”
Wu said Honduran President Siomara Castro and his team had always had “fantasies” about China and had raised the issue of diplomatic ties ahead of the 2021 Honduran presidential elections. Relations between Taiwan and Honduras were once stable, but China has not stopped its fascination with Honduras.
The Honduran government has asked Taiwan for billions of dollars in aid and compared its proposals to China’s, Wu said, detailing the work Taiwan has done to develop its former ally.
“The Castro administration has negotiated diplomatic relations with China, ending our long-standing support and relationship. Our government feels pain and regret,” he said.
Olivia Lin, a spokesperson for Taiwan’s presidential office, said in a statement that the relationship between the two sides has been going on for more than 80 years.
“China has long repressed Taiwan’s international space, unilaterally endangering regional peace and stability,” she said in a statement.
Honduras is the ninth diplomatic ally to lose Taipei to Beijing since pro-independence President Tsai Ing-wen took office in May 2016.
China and Taiwan have been embroiled in a dispute over diplomatic recognition since the 1949 civil war split the two sides. The Chinese government has spent billions of dollars to gain approval for its One China policy.
China maintains that Taiwan is part of its territory and will be brought under its control by force if necessary, and has largely refused contact with countries that maintain formal ties with Taiwan’s democracy. Yes. It threatens reprisals against countries simply for increasing contact.
Taiwan still has relations with Belize, Paraguay, Guatemala and Vatican City in Central and South America. Most of the remaining partners are island nations in the Caribbean and South Pacific, along with Eswatini in southern Africa.
President Tsai will begin a 10-day trip that includes Guatemala and Belize starting Wednesday. Her delegation will also make stops in New York and Los Angeles, Lin said last week.Taiwan’s Vice Foreign Minister Alexander Yui said the purpose of Tsai’s visit was to highlight Taiwan’s friendly ties with Latin American countries. said.
Despite China’s campaign of isolation, Taiwan maintains robust informal ties with more than 100 other countries, most notably the United States. Although the United States does not have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Taipei claims to be an important partner in the Indo-Pacific.
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