Beijing sets up formal ties with Honduras in yet another diplomatic blow for Taiwan
- Switch in official recognition comes a week after Honduran President Xiomara Castro tweeted about imminent change
- Taipei left with just 13 diplomatic allies after ninth nation severs ties since President Tsai Ing-wen took office in 2016
Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his Honduran counterpart Eduardo Enrique Reina signed a joint communique on Sunday to establish formal ties, state media reported.
China was willing to strengthen all-round friendly cooperation with Honduras, the statement added.
A Honduran delegation headed by Reina arrived in Beijing on Thursday to negotiate the signing of a formal communique on the establishment of diplomatic relations.
In a statement on Twitter on Sunday, the Honduran foreign ministry said: “The government of the Republic of Honduras recognises the existence of one China in the world and that the government of the People’s Republic of China represents China as a whole.
“Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and as of today, the government of Honduras has informed Taiwan about the severance of diplomatic relations.”
Earlier on Sunday, Taipei announced the termination of 82 years of formal relations with Honduras, in a fresh setback for the self-ruled island in its long-time diplomatic tussle with Beijing – which sees Taiwan as part of its territory with no right to build official ties with other governments.
The Honduran foreign ministry also said it would no longer maintain any relationship or official contact with Taiwan.
Beijing refuses to maintain official ties with any country that recognises Taiwan and has stepped up efforts to isolate the island internationally.
03:08
Beijing welcomes formal ties with Honduras, Taipei expresses ‘grave concern’
Yun Sun, director of the China programme at Washington’s Stimson Centre, expected the Honduran decision to have significant geopolitical impact.
“It will definitely shake cross-strait relations, affect the US-China dynamics and create repercussions over Taiwan’s domestic politics,” Yun said.
“Beijing’s diplomatic offensive further tightens Taiwan’s international space, raising questions about US credibility to defend Taiwan’s current status.”
Li Fei, a researcher at Xiamen University’s Taiwan Research Institute, said the move marked “a major victory” over Washington and Taiwan.
“It is a general trend for countries that have official ties with Taiwan to switch sides and establish relations with the mainland because of China’s rising international status,” Li said.
“There will be a domino effect,” he added. “Within the next year, Taiwan’s diplomatic relations will probably drop to single digits, or even zero. The more the Tsai Ing-wen administration tries to push its pragmatic diplomacy and elevate ties with the US, the harder China will squeeze Taiwan’s international space.”
‘Only a matter of time’ before Taiwan has no allies: Chinese vice-minister
Taipei hit out at Honduras for bowing to what it said was economic sweeteners from Beijing, saying it would cut off all relations and cooperation programmes with Tegucigalpa.
Taiwanese media earlier reported that Honduras had turned to Beijing as Taiwan refused to double economic aid and restructure its debt, and that Reina had said economic reality made Tegucigalpa take the decision.
“The Castro government failed to take note of the long-time assistance and friendship from us and negotiated the establishment of ties with China. For this we feel deep pain and regret,” Taiwanese Foreign Minister Joseph Wu told a hastily called press conference on Sunday.
Sun said Beijing had been using active diplomacy after three years of pandemic-era setbacks to glorify its “return” to the international stage, but that did little to ease its tensions with the US or cross-strait relations.
“But China could say that since the US doesn’t care anyway, so why should China hold back?”
02:29
Taiwan confirms President Tsai Ing-wen will make US stopovers in coming weeks
Beijing has become increasingly impatient with Washington’s arms sales to Taipei and their high-level official exchanges, accusing the US of using “salami tactics” to hollow out its long-standing one-China policy.
Back in Taipei, Wu condemned Beijing for repeatedly trying to lure away the island’s allies.
“We will not succumb to the pressure and coercion of the Chinese authoritarian government, and will uphold the values of freedom and democracy, actively unite with allies and like-minded countries, work together to maintain regional peace and stability, and strive to achieve Taiwan’s due international status,” he said.
Asked if the switching of ties was deliberately timed with Tsai’s planned US transit to embarrass Taipei, Wu said: “China seems to be doing this intentionally.”
Taiwan confirms President Tsai will make US stopovers in coming weeks
Tsai is expected to depart on a tour of Central American allies Guatemala and Belize on Wednesday, stopping over in New York for two days. Then on her way back to Taipei, she will spend two nights in Los Angeles from April 4.
She was expected to deliver a speech in New York and meet McCarthy in Los Angeles, according to American media reports.
Meanwhile, the office of Tsai’s predecessor Ma Ying-jeou said the Honduras issue would not affect his scheduled mainland visit this week.
Ma, a former chairman of Taiwan’s Beijing-friendly Kuomintang party, had adopted a policy to engage the mainland during his time as president between 2008 and 2016.
He is scheduled to leave for Nanjing on Monday for a 12-day “ancestral” visit, which includes stops in the cities of Wuhan, Changsha, Chongqing and Shanghai.
01:52
Ma Ying-jeou to become first former Taiwanese leader to visit mainland China since 1949
Hsiao Hsu-tsen, executive director of the Ma Ying-jeou Foundation, said the successive exit of allies indicated policy failure under the current administration.
“The fact that nine allies have severed ties with us in the seven years that the Tsai government has been in office indicates that its cross-strait policy needs to be changed,” Hsiao said.
He said there was a strong need for the administration to amend its anti-Beijing stance so that cross-strait relations could return to normal.
Lo Chih-cheng, a legislator of the ruling, independence-leaning Democratic Progressive Party, said despite the loss of Honduras, Taiwan had gained support from a number of major democratic countries, including those in Europe.
Huang Kwei-bo, a professor of diplomacy at National Chengchi University in Taipei, said it was unlikely that the number of Taiwan’s allies would be reduced to zero as some analysts had forecast.
“There could be several that might come under scrutiny, but it is highly unlikely Taiwan would lose all its allies,” Huang said.
“After all, with the funds being saved from countries that have switched ties to mainland China, Taiwan would be able to concentrate on extending aid and keeping its remaining allies.”
