Honduras leaves Taiwan and announces diplomatic relations with China: which countries continue to recognize the island’s government

Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced that her government will open relations with China, a decision that could mark the end of the Central American country’s historic recognition of the island of Taiwan.

“I have instructed Foreign Minister Eduardo Reina to manage the opening of official relations with the People’s Republic of China, as a sign of my determination to comply with the government’s plan and to expand borders freely in consultation with the nations of the world “, he said. wrote Castro on his Twitter account.

Under its “one China” policy, which considers Taiwan a rogue province but an inalienable part of its territory, Beijing will not accept relations with governments that recognize the islandwho considers himself independent.

Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina said the decision was due to “pragmatism, not ideology,” the Reuters news agency reported.

That’s what Reina said to local television Honduras is “up to its ears” due to financial problems. Tegucigalpa owes Taiwan about $600 million, a debt that partially motivated Honduras to establish relations with China, the minister said.

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“The global situation is complicated, we need to open up,” Reina said.

In addition, he indicated that Honduran government officials will meet with their Chinese counterparts in the coming days to formalize the relationship.

The Honduran foreign minister said the decision was not taken lightly and involved talks with the United States and allies in Asia. He assured that his country wants to maintain commercial ties with Taiwan from now on.

“We need investment and cooperation and Honduras must be aggressive”said.

For his part, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said Beijing “welcomes” Honduras’ decision to establish bilateral diplomatic relations.

Castro came up with the idea during his presidential campaign to cut ties with Taiwan and open them up with China.

The supports that remain

The Honduran government’s decision to leave Taiwan would leave the island with a handful of diplomatic allies.

Excluding Honduras, the list is reduced to 13 countriesthose in the Americas include Guatemala, Belize, Haiti and the islands of Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in the Caribbean.

The last Latin American countries to cut ties with Taiwan to maintain ties with China were Nicaragua, in December 2021, and the Dominican Republic, which lifted Taipei’s recognition in 2018.

The other countries that recognize Taiwan in the world are: Vatican City, Eswatini (formerly Swaziland), in southern Africa, and the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, and Tuvalu in Oceania.

The origin of the conflict

In 1949, China ended a long civil war with the victory of the communists, led by Mao Zedong, over the nationalist republicans, led by Chiang Kai-shek, who fled and installed their own government on the island of Taiwan.

In the context of the Cold War, many nations opposed to communism recognized the legitimacy of the government of Taiwan, a country that officially retained the name China had before communist victory: the Republic of China.

But as the economic power of the People’s Republic of China began to grow, many countries changed their position and established diplomatic ties with the Mao government.

The United States began formal relations with mainland China in 1979, but it remains an ally of Taiwan.