Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez on Monday said that cuts in US support for Central America would hinder efforts to stem illegal immigration as he welcomed China’s growing diplomatic presence in the region as an “opportunity.”
In an interview, Hernandez expressed regret that US commitments to step up investment in Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador have been scaled back since US President Donald Trump took office.
Since Trump became president, Hernandez said the US has shown great willingness to work on combating street gangs known as maras that have menaced Central America, but it was less ready to support the region financially.
Under a scheme to strengthen Central America launched in 2014 known as the Plan of the Alliance for Prosperity in the Northern Triangle, the US pledged to put forward US$1 for every US$4 invested by Honduras, Hernandez said.
However, that commitment has not materialized, he added.
“That will obviously have repercussions,” he said. “Because the whole idea of the Alliance for Prosperity ... was to attack the migration problem at the root.”
Since 2016, combined US foreign aid for Honduras, Guatemala and El Salvador declined by more than one-third to US$195 million, official US data showed.
Adding to the challenges facing the region, the Trump administration earlier this year announced that it would end temporary immigration protection for tens of thousands of Hondurans and Salvadorans living in the US.
Meanwhile, China is strengthening ties with Central America.
Last month, Taiwan broke diplomatic ties with El Salvador after learning of its decision to switch allegience to China, citing economic reasons and following on the heels of Panama last year.
Honduras still has diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Hernandez said Beijing’s growing diplomatic presence posed a “quandary” for Central America, but also “an opportunity for all,” provided there are “clear rules.”
Other nations would likely follow the lead of El Salvador and Panama soon, he added.
“We see that things are changing in Central America. I think the United States has been a bit late to see it,” he said.
Asked whether Honduras would switch to China, the president gave a careful answer: “We’re still with Taiwan. Each country follows the principle of self-determination, that it can make its own decisions.”
“For the time being, we’re betting on a commercial relationship with Taiwan, a window to enter the Asian market,” he added.
A crucial test of whether Washington was prepared to reaffirm its commitment to the region would be a meeting planned for the middle of next month with officials from the US, Central American nations and Mexico, Hernandez said.
‘NO SECURITY RISK’: The Railway Bureau reassured the public that the technicians’ activities were limited to technical guidance and did not involve sensitive systems The Railway Bureau yesterday said it had invited eight Chinese technicians to assist with an airport MRT construction project. The bureau issued the confirmation after an Internet user said Chinese nationals had entered the construction zone of Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport’s Terminal 3 project. They asked why “individuals from an enemy state” were allowed access to such a major national infrastructure project, which raised serious concerns over Taiwan’s industrial safety, sensitive systems and information security. The bureau’s Northern Region Engineering Branch Office said subcontractor Taiwan Handle Industrial Co (台灣手把工業) of the Taoyuan airport MRT’s “Contract No. CU05 Project A14 Station Civil, MEP &
A US uncrewed surface vessel (USV) encountered multiple Chinese warships during an autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait, US defense company Seasats said in a statement on Wednesday. Seasats announced that a Lightfish USV had completed the first autonomous transit of the Taiwan Strait. Over five days, the USV traversed the entire length of the Strait while constantly monitoring surface vessel traffic, the company said. The Lightfish encountered multiple Chinese warships, one of which was a Chinese People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) Type 056 corvette, it said. The Chinese vessels were operating “well within Taiwan’s exclusive economic zone without transmitting their identity via the
‘BOOMING’: ’ The number of partners we have here is incredible. You can see from their stock prices. They’re doing so well, they’re so happy,’ Jensen Huang said Nvidia Corp’s spending in Taiwan has ballooned to about US$150 billion a year, 10 times the US$10 billion to US$15 billion the company spent five years ago, Nvidia chief executive officer Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said yesterday, suggesting Taiwan’s strategic importance in the global artificial intelligence (AI) supply chain. “Taiwan is the epicenter of the AI revolution. This is where the chips come, packaging comes. This is where the systems are made. This is where AI supercomputers were created,” Huang said at a meeting for the company’s employees in Beitou-Shilin Technology Park (北投士林科技園區) in Taipei, the planned site of Nvidia’s Taipei headquarters. “Taiwan
GREATER REACH? Auto parts and wood products would face tariffs of up to 15%, matching those targeting the EU, Japan and South Korea, Vice Premier said The US has announced that preferential tariff treatment for Taiwan’s non-semiconductor Section 232 goods would take effect retroactively from May 1, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The US government yesterday posted a notice on the Federal Register’s public inspection Web site previewing tariff concessions for Taiwan under a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on Taiwan-US investment after two months of negotiations. The MOU signed on Jan. 15 stipulated three major preferential tariff arrangements: a 15 percent “reciprocal” tariff rate for Taiwan without stacking most-favored nation (MFN) rates; preferential Section 232 treatment for semiconductors and related products; and preferential Section 232 treatment for non-semiconductor
RSS