Outgoing Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez left Taiwan on Sunday, ending a three-day visit that marked the 80th anniversary of diplomatic relations between his Central American country and Taiwan.
Hernandez and his 11-member delegation departed from Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 11:50pm, after completing the last item on their formal itinerary, a visit to the Central American Bank for Economic Integration’s regional office in Taiwan.
On Saturday, Hernandez met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to celebrate the 80 years of diplomatic relations between the two nations.
Photo: CNA
In the meeting at the Presidential Office, Hernandez said that the two nations were true friends, and that his visit was a “clear and firm message” that Honduras wanted to stand by Taiwan against China’s growing military threat.
Also on Saturday, a member of the delegation, Honduran Minister of Foreign Affairs Lisandro Rosales Banegas, was awarded the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in recognition of his contributions to promoting closer diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Honduras.
Hernandez and the delegation arrived in Taiwan on Friday night at Tsai’s invitation — it was his fourth visit to the nation.
His previous visits were in 2015 and 2016 as Honduran president, and in 2010 as speaker of the Honduran Parliament.
The latest visit came only months before the end of Hernandez’s second and final term as president, and amid uncertainty over Honduran foreign policy after the country’s presidential election on Nov. 28.
One of the leading candidates, Xiomara Castro of the left-wing opposition Liberty and Refoundation Party, has vowed to forge diplomatic relations with China if elected, according to a Reuters report in September.
If that happens, the number of Taiwan’s official diplomatic allies would shrink to 14.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
RSS