Honduras, which severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with China, has decided to strengthen cooperation with China under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), a land and maritime Silk Road connecting China, Central Asia, and Europe, according to the Chinese state-run Global Times (GT) on the 11th.
GT reported in an exclusive interview with Eduardo Enrique Reina, Honduras' Foreign Minister, that on the 12th, the two countries are scheduled to sign a document covering 19 areas of cooperation, including the BRI. Earlier, on the morning of the 11th, Honduras held an embassy opening ceremony in the diplomatic compound in Chaoyang District, Beijing, attended by Qin Gang, Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister.
Honduras severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan, with which it had maintained ties for 82 years since 1941, when it established diplomatic relations with China in March. This was a result of accepting China's "One China" principle, which does not recognize Taiwan as an official country. Consequently, the number of Taiwan's diplomatic allies has decreased to 13.
Honduras President Xiomara Castro has been on a state visit to China since the 9th, becoming the first Honduran president to do so. On the morning of the 9th, President Castro arrived in Shanghai, visited the New Development Bank (NDB) established by BRICS (Brazil, Russia, India, China, South Africa) to request membership, and toured Huawei's Shanghai research institute. On the afternoon of the 10th, she arrived in Beijing and is scheduled to hold a summit with Chinese President Xi Jinping. They are expected to pledge cooperation in various fields such as trade, cultural exchange, and education during the summit.
In the interview with GT, Foreign Minister Reina emphasized, "We place great importance on recognizing the significance of the One China principle," reiterating support for China's position on the Taiwan issue. He stressed, "The decision to recognize the One China principle is a sovereign decision of Honduras." He also revealed that early next month, a vice minister from China's Ministry of Commerce is scheduled to visit Honduras to promote the signing of a Free Trade Agreement (FTA).
Meanwhile, according to statistics from China's General Administration of Customs and Ministry of Commerce, the trade volume between China and Honduras in 2021 reached $1.62 billion (approximately 2.09 trillion KRW), a 67.1% increase compared to the previous year. By the end of 2021, Chinese companies had signed contracts worth about $640 million in Honduras, with sales reaching $700 million.
© The Asia Business Daily(www.asiae.co.kr). All rights reserved.
