Honduras Seeks Diplomatic Switch from Taiwan to China

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Facts

• Honduras Pres. Xiomara Castro on Tuesday announced on Twitter her government will seek to establish diplomatic relations with China, implying it will be severing relations with Taiwan.¹
• Castro, a democratic socialist who won the presidency in 2021 after campaigning on a radical agenda to counter years of corruption and scandal, said during her campaign that the country would establish diplomatic ties with China. But in January 2022, Castro's transition team said it would maintain relations with Taiwan; her latest tweet suggests that has changed.²
• In a response to Castro’s tweet, Taiwan cautioned Honduras against falling into China's 'trap.' The change in policy would leave Taiwan recognized by just 13 countries.³
• China, which considers self-ruled Taiwan as part of its territory, refuses most contact with countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.⁴
• Castro’s announcement, which could harm relations with the US, comes ahead of next month’s visit by Taiwan Pres. Tsai Ing-wen to the US and Central America. She’s expected to visit Guatemala and Belize, and meet with US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.).⁵

Sources: ¹Associated Press, ²CNN, ³BBC News, ⁴Los angeles times and ⁵Reuters.

Narratives

• Anti-China narrative, as provided by Voa. Honduras is being used by China in its campaign to isolate Taiwan. The plan uses trade and investment — including its multi-billion-dollar Belt and Road initiative to build ports, railways, power plants, and other infrastructure for developing nations — as incentives for switching diplomatic ties. Before Honduras, where China is constructing a massive dam, China bribed Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador, and Nicaragua.
• Pro-China narrative, as provided by Archive. Taiwan is an inalienable part of China, and the PRC government is the country’s representative. Any attempt to unilaterally add preconditions and provisos to the one-China principle is illegal. So Honduras, and other Central American countries that haven’t done so already, should do the right thing and cut ties with Taiwan.