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Featured image: Honduras Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina García (left) and new Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang raise a toast following the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries, at a ceremony in the Diaoyutai State Guesthouse in Beijing, Sunday, March 26, 2023. Photo: Greg Baker/Pool Photo via AP.
Through a statement made this past Saturday, the Honduran government reported its decision to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan and to establish them with China, effectively meaning that the South American country has taken a position on the dispute between China and the rebel territory of Taiwan.
The Honduran Minister for Foreign Affairs Eduardo Enrique Reina said that his government has “notified Taiwan of the decision to break diplomatic relations,” which has become increasingly isolated as it is now only recognized by 13 sovereign states, if Vatican City is included. Honduras subsequently formed diplomatic ties with China on Sunday.
Honduras “recognizes the existence of only one China in the world, and that the Government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China,” Eduardo Enrique pointed out.
📌| COMUNICADO: Honduras Anuncia Ruptura de Relaciones Diplomáticas con Taiwán pic.twitter.com/kaaBearpcM
— Cancillería Honduras (@CancilleriaHN) March 26, 2023
Although relations between Honduras and Taiwan had existed since 1941 under US diplomatic pressures, the Honduran foreign minister traveled to China to refine the details of the beginning of their diplomatic relations, and at the same time, to formalize the withdrawal of the Taiwanese ambassador in Tegucigalpa, Vivia Chang.
On its behalf, the Taiwanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs said it was “deeply dissatisfied” after the rupture of diplomatic relations with Honduras. In turn, it urged Honduras to “be careful with the risks of the commitments assumed by China in its offer of diplomatic relations.”
It is important to highlight that Honduras and Taiwan had close cooperative relationship based on US diplomatic pressure and on the Taiwanese commitment of supporting development projects via foreign investments, which in practice never materialized or resulted in any economic development.
Honduras’ leftist President Xiomara Castro has officially recognized China.
Now only 12 UN member states have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan separatists. (These have a combined population of less than 39 million, or 0.49% of the planet)https://t.co/P9MNLJWPGR
— Ben Norton (@BenjaminNorton) March 26, 2023
The Chinese government as well as the United Nations claim that Taiwan is part of its territory. Likewise, it maintains that China is whole and indivisible.
Faced with this scenario, the United States has not been left behind and it hopes to take advantage of this situation by offering military support to Taiwan, as an attempt to attack China, which US oligarchs see as their main threat in their imperialist quest for world domination.
(RedRadioVE) by Yucsealis Rincon, with Orinoco Tribune content
Translation: Orinoco Tribune
OT/JRE/DD
