Xi Jinping says Beijing will support Honduras’ economy while stressing ‘one-China principle’ as foundation for ties

The Chinese president and his Honduran counterpart Xiomara Castro hold first meeting since Central American nation switched allegiance from Taipei
The leaders witness signing of 17 bilateral agreements in areas including trade, belt and road construction, agriculture, technology and education

Diplomacy

Hayley Wong

Published: 10:30pm, 12 Jun 2023

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China is determined to support Honduras’ economic growth, Chinese President Xi Jinping told his Honduran counterpart Xiomara Castro in their first meeting since the Central American country switched its allegiance from Taiwan to Beijing.

China rolled out the red carpet for Castro on Monday in Beijing, with Xi receiving her personally at the Great Hall of the People.

Xi praised the “historic decisiveness” and “strong political will” that Castro showed as she fulfilled her election campaign promise to build ties with China, according to a statement released by state news agency Xinhua.

“China will unswervingly develop friendship with Honduras and is determined to support the economic and social development of the country,” he said, echoing the Honduran delegation’s aim to boost business ties with the world’s second-largest economy.

Xi stressed that the “one-China principle” would be the prerequisite and foundation for bilateral ties and said he believed Honduras could “fully implement” the principle, according to Chinese state broadcaster CCTV.

Castro showed “high appreciation” for China’s Belt and Road Initiative and other global projects and pledged to take part actively, according to CCTV.

01:54

Chinese embassy inaugurated in Honduras, as President Castro set to visit China

“We believe that developing a good relationship with China could allow us to gain better and more opportunities of development … and are willing to actively promote the relations between China and the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States,” she said.

The two leaders witnessed the signing of 17 bilateral agreements in areas including trade, belt and road project construction, agriculture, science and technology, culture and education, according to a tweet from Chinese foreign ministry spokeswoman Hua Chunying.

Before meeting Xi, Castro visited the Monument to the People’s Heroes in Tiananmen Square to pay tribute to those who died in the struggle to establish the People’s Republic of China – a symbolic gesture of patriotism in the country.

Castro, who was dressed in a red suit, was welcomed by the Chinese leader and senior officials including top diplomat Wang Yi, as well as People’s Liberation Army squads, a military band and a group of children waving flags and flowers.

The meeting came three months after Honduras ended its 82 years of ties with Taipei and established formal relations with Beijing.

Honduras opens Beijing embassy after switch from Taipei

Castro, accompanied by a high-level delegation, arrived in Beijing on Saturday evening after visiting Shanghai, where she met Chen Jining, the financial hub’s Communist Party chief. Earlier that day she met Dilma Rousseff, president of the BRICS-led New Development Bank, and submitted an application to join the bank.

BRICS is an association consisting of five large emerging economies: Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

The Honduran delegation also expressed their commitment to economic cooperation with China and met Chinese business leaders in trade, engineering, telecommunications and other industries in Beijing, according to local media.

The initial stages of trade would focus on exports of agricultural products to China, such as coffee beans, white shrimp and melons, then expand to areas such as investment, energy, telecommunications and infrastructure, Fredis Cerrato, the Honduran minister of economic development, told Chinese tabloid Global Times.

02:23

Honduras establishes diplomatic relations with Beijing after cutting ties with Taiwan

In a separate interview with Chinese online media Thepaper.cn after the meeting, Melvin Redondo, the Honduran vice-minister for economic development, said the country would begin talks on a free trade deal with China next month and aim for completion in a year.

The Honduran and Chinese ministers of natural resources, Lucky Medina Estrada and Wang Guanghua, met on Monday to discuss topics including fair use of natural resources and renewable energy sovereignty, according to a tweet from Castro’s office.

On Sunday, Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina met his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang after an inauguration ceremony for the Honduran embassy in Beijing, according to another tweet from the office.

In a speech during the ceremony, Qin said development of bilateral ties had a “strong start” and Castro’s visit was a “milestone” for their relationship, according to a statement by the foreign ministry.

“The rapid development of Honduras-China formal relations in the first two months has proved that President Castro’s strategic decision is correct,” Reina was quoted as saying at the event.