There are only 14 countries in the world that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. In other words, they recognize the sovereignty of the island in the face of pressure from China, which considers it part of its territory as one more province, even though it functions de facto independently with its own government, elected at the polls, constitution and army.
A short list of official friends from which Honduras will drop following the instructions given by the socialist Xiomara Castro, president of this Central American country: "I have instructed Foreign Minister Eduardo Reina to manage the opening of official relations with the People's Republic China, as a sign of my determination to fulfill the Government Plan and expand the borders with freedom in the concert of the nations of the world".
Castro has chosen Twitter to make public his intention to break 81 years of diplomatic ties with Taiwan. The Honduran Foreign Minister, taking the order from his boss, confirmed it on Tuesday night (local time) on television in his country. "We have to look at things very pragmatically and look for the best benefit for the Honduran people," said Eduardo Reina.
The turn in Honduras had already been warned by Castro since he won the 2021 elections. The succulent Chinese investments were knocking on the door and Beijing, which does not allow the countries with which it maintains diplomatic relations to also maintain official ties with Taiwan, has spent years trying to to block Taipei's participation on the global stage. First by vetoing their participation in international organizations and then by engaging in checkbook diplomacy with attractive projects, such as the construction of a huge hydroelectric dam in Honduras.
Since Taipei, as expected, they have not taken the loss of their old diplomatic ally well. "We have expressed our serious concerns to the Honduran government, urging the country to carefully consider its decision and not fall into China's trap and destroy the long-term friendship between the two nations," Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said in a statement. of the self-governing island.
"Taiwan is a sincere and trustworthy ally. Our country has always helped Honduras in its national development to the best of our ability. China's only objective in developing relations with Honduras is to reduce our country's international space, not has sincere intentions to cooperate for the good of the Honduran people," the minister stated.
Before President Tsai Ing-wen of the pro-independence Democratic Progressive Party took office in May 2016, Taiwan's list of official friends numbered 21. The bleeding was most evident among traditional Central American allies. , such as Panama, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Costa Rica and Nicaragua, which went to the side of China.
The latest has been Honduras, which is determined to offer its allegiance to a Beijing that is increasingly influential in the region. Right now, the largest nation, by GDP, with which Taiwan maintains formal diplomatic relations, is Guatemala. The rest are small island states in the Caribbean and Oceania, a tiny African state, in Europe it only has Vatican City and in South America Paraguay, whose alliance could also change in favor of China if the opposition party wins the elections. upcoming presidential elections to be held at the end of April.
In recent years, as Chinese President Xi Jinping insisted that "reunification" with the island is inevitable, even by force (invasion) if necessary, Taiwan has gained more sympathy in the West, opening its doors to unofficial delegations from the European Union and the United States, who has become its major arms supplier and main international sponsor.
Although Washington, in President Biden's own words, has said it will defend Taipei should the Chinese military attack, it continues to adhere to the one-China principle, under which there is only one government in any Mandarin-speaking territory, and that one is in Beijing.
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