Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced on Tuesday that her government would seek to establish diplomatic ties with China, which would mean severing ties with Taiwan.
Castro said on her Twitter account that she had instructed Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Reina to start negotiations with China and that her intention was to “expand borders freely.”
Honduras is one of Taiwan’s few remaining allies, and Castro’s announcement marks a shift in his diplomatic outlook.
Taiwan’s official Central News Agency quoted an unidentified Foreign Ministry official as saying it was “in the process of ascertaining the situation” and had no further details.
China claims that self-governing, democratic Taiwan is part of its territory and sees diplomatic recognition of the island as an interference in its affairs. Beijing has diplomatically isolated Taiwan with a lengthy campaign against such recognition under the “One China” policy.
In January 2022, the foreign minister told The Associated Press that Honduras would continue to strengthen ties with Taiwan, and that establishing diplomatic ties with China was not a priority for Castro.
It is not known what prompted the government to change its decision.
