Ajit Karn
Taipei: The government of Taipei said in a statement that it called back its ambassador to Honduras on Thursday because Tegucigalpa’s foreign minister was going to China.
“Taiwan and Honduras have been friends for more than 80 years, but Honduras sent their foreign minister to China. This has hurt the feelings of our government and people very much,” said a statement from the foreign ministry.
“We have decided to call back our ambassador in Honduras right away to show how unhappy we are.”
Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina was going to China to talk with the Chinese government about establishing formal ties, government sources said. This news came as he was leaving.
China thinks of democracy Taiwan, which is run by its own people, as part of its land that will one day be taken back by force if necessary.
Last week, Honduran President Xiomara Castro told Reina to make formal ties with China. This would mean that Honduras would cut ties with Taiwan.
Beijing’s “One China” policy says that no country can have formal ties with both China and Taiwan. Taipei has the same strategy, and in the past it has cut ties with countries that moved to Beijing.
If Honduras makes the move official, Taiwan will have formal diplomatic ties with only 13 countries. This is because Taiwan has lost several Latin American friends in recent years.
Reina went to China with Xiomara Zelaya, a lawmaker and the daughter of President Castro, according to three government and foreign sources who spoke to AFP on the condition of anonymity.
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Rodolfo Pastor, a minister in the Honduran government, told the local newspaper El Heraldo that the Honduran team will meet with China’s Foreign Minister Qin Gang.
The visit has not been announced by China’s foreign ministry, but a spokesman said on Thursday that China was “ready” to start working with Honduras.
