End to Taiwan ties nears as Honduras foreign minister visits China

The Honduran foreign minister is travelling to China to promote the establishment of diplomatic ties, an official said, signalling the end is most likely near for the country’s decadeslong relations with Taiwan.

At stake is China’s growing footprint in Central America, once a steadfast base for Taiwan and where the US is worried about Beijing’s expanding influence in its backyard.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro tweeted last week her government would seek to open relations with China.

“Foreign minister Eduardo Enrique Reina on instructions from President Xiomara Castro travelled to China on Wednes day to promote efforts for the establishment of diplomatic relations,” presidential press secretary Ivis Alvarado said yesterday.

China’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry said it had summoned the Honduran ambassador to express its “strong dissatisfaction” at the trip which “seriously harmed the feelings of our government and people”.

A source with direct knowledge of the situation said Reina and his delegation left for Beijing from Panama, accompanied by Chinese officials.

A senior Taipei-based diplomatic source said Reina going to China meant an announcement on forging relations was probably near.

“The die is cast,” the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

The move will leave Taiwan with diplomatic relations with only 13 countries.

Honduras denied it had demanded $2.5bn(R45bn) in aid from Taiwan before its announcement to seek to open relations with China, instead saying the country had repeatedly asked Taiwan to buy Honduran public debt.

Speaking to reporters at parliament yesterday, Taiwan foreign minister Joseph Wu said the situation with Honduras was “not very good”.

“The other side demanded a high price,” he said, though he did not directly confirm the dollar number, saying only that “the facts will out”.

China, which views Taiwan as its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties, had involved itself in the issue, Wu said, without giving details.

“The marks of Chinese involvement are very obvious,” he said, adding that Taiwan would not engage in dollar diplomacy with China. The Honduras crisis erupted ahead of next week’s visit by Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen to Guatemala and Belize, which remain allies.

Reina said last week Honduras’s decision was partly because the Central American country was up to its neck in financial challenges and debt — including $600m (R10.8bn) it oweds Taiwan.

Wu said Honduras’s demands were beyond what Taiwan could do. —