Honduran Minister of Foreign Affairs Eduardo Enrique Reina said that his country plans to maintain its diplomatic ties with Taiwan while suggesting flexibility in the relationship.
“In the case of Taiwan, we are maintaining a fluid relationship,” Reina said.
Reina also said that Honduras and the Venezuelan government of Nicolas Maduro had resumed diplomatic relations, which were severed in 2010.
Photo: AFP
Newly inaugurated Honduran President Xiomara Castro vowed during her campaign that she would switch the country’s recognition to China if she won, although her transition team later said that the new government would maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Castro’s decision to ally Honduras more closely with the Venezuelan administration puts it out of step with Taiwan, which has continued to recognize self-declared interim president and Maduro opponent Juan Guaido as the country’s legitimate leader.
Castro was sworn in as president last week following a ceremony attended by Vice President William Lai (賴清德), US Vice President Kamala Harris and other international leaders.
Meanwhile, a senior US official said that he thinks the relationship between Taiwan and Honduras would “stay strong.”
US Assistant Secretary of State for the Western Hemisphere Brian Nichols told a US House of Representatives committee hearing that Harris had raised the issue of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Honduras during Castro’s trip to Tegucigalpa.
Castro responded by saying that her government intends to continue relations with Taipei, he said, adding that the US had raised the same issue with the eight countries in the western hemisphere that Taiwan has diplomatic relations with.
“We continue to talk about the benefits of that relationship, and the shared values of respectful democracy and human rights that Taiwan espouses, and the benefits that we all receive from an active Taiwan in our hemisphere,” Nichols said.
Taiwan has 14 diplomatic allies, most of which are in the South Pacific, Latin American, and the Caribbean.
While in Honduras, Lai was in contact with Belizean Prime Minister John Briceno, who later tested positive for COVID-19. The Presidential Office said on Thursday that Lai remains in good health.
Briceno was said by his office to have contracted the virus after his meeting with Lai and has since been in isolation.
Lai is in quarantine and tested negative for COVID-19 after taking a rapid test on Wednesday, Presidential Office spokesman Xavier Chang (張惇涵) said.
Chang said Lai, along with all members of Taiwan’s delegation, underwent numerous rapid tests during the trip, all of which showed negative results.
Chang added that both President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and Lai have extended their good wishes to Briceno for a quick recovery.
Temperatures in northern Taiwan are forecast to reach as high as 30°C today, as an ongoing northeasterly seasonal wind system weakens, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. CWA forecaster Tseng Chao-cheng (曾昭誠) said yesterday that with the seasonal wind system weakening, warmer easterly winds would boost the temperature today. Daytime temperatures in northern Taiwan and Yilan County are expected to range from 28°C to 30°C today, up about 3°C from yesterday, Tseng said. According to the CWA, temperature highs in central and southern Taiwan could stay stable. However, the weather is expected to turn cooler starting tonight as the northeasterly wind system strengthens again
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday expressed “grave concerns” after Singaporean Prime Minister Lawrence Wong (黃循財) reiterated the city-state’s opposition to “Taiwanese independence” during a meeting with Chinese Premier Li Qiang (李強). In Singapore on Saturday, Wong and Li discussed cross-strait developments, the Singaporean Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement. “Prime Minister Wong reiterated that Singapore has a clear and consistent ‘one China’ policy and is opposed to Taiwan independence,” it said. MOFA responded that it is an objective fact and a common understanding shared by many that the Republic of China (ROC) is an independent, sovereign nation, with world-leading
COOLING OFF: Temperatures are expected to fall to lows of about 20°C on Sunday and possibly 18°C to 19°C next week, following a wave of northeasterly winds on Friday The Central Weather Administration (CWA) on Sunday forecast more rain and cooler temperatures for northern Taiwan this week, with the mercury dropping to lows of 18°C, as another wave of northeasterly winds sweeps across the country. The current northeasterly winds would continue to affect Taiwan through today, with precipitation peaking today, bringing increased rainfall to windward areas, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng (劉沛滕) said. The weather system would weaken slightly tomorrow before another, stronger wave arrives on Friday, lasting into next week, Liu said. From yesterday to today, northern Taiwan can expect cool, wet weather, with lows of 22°C to 23°C in most areas,
Taiwan sweltered through its hottest October on record, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday, the latest in a string of global temperature records. The main island endured its highest average temperature since 1950, CWA forecaster Liu Pei-teng said. Temperatures the world over have soared in recent years as human-induced climate change contributes to ever more erratic weather patterns. Taiwan’s average temperature was 27.381°C as of Thursday, Liu said. Liu said the average could slip 0.1°C by the end of yesterday, but it would still be higher than the previous record of 27.009°C in 2016. "The temperature only started lowering around Oct. 18 or 19
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