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.
Taiwan has received more than US$70 million in royalties as of the end of last year from developing the F-16V jet as countries worldwide purchase or upgrade to this popular model, government and military officials said on Saturday. Taiwan funded the development of the F-16V jet and ended up the sole investor as other countries withdrew from the program. Now the F-16V is increasingly popular and countries must pay Taiwan a percentage in royalties when they purchase new F-16V aircraft or upgrade older F-16 models. The next five years are expected to be the peak for these royalties, with Taiwan potentially earning
STAY IN YOUR LANE: As the US and Israel attack Iran, the ministry has warned China not to overstep by including Taiwanese citizens in its evacuation orders The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday rebuked a statement by China’s embassy in Israel that it would evacuate Taiwanese holders of Chinese travel documents from Israel amid the latter’s escalating conflict with Iran. Tensions have risen across the Middle East in the wake of US and Israeli airstrikes on Iran beginning Saturday. China subsequently issued an evacuation notice for its citizens. In a news release, the Chinese embassy in Israel said holders of “Taiwan compatriot permits (台胞證)” issued to Taiwanese nationals by Chinese authorities for travel to China — could register for evacuation to Egypt. In Taipei, the ministry yesterday said Taiwan
‘LIKE-MINDED PARTNER’: Tako van Popta said it would be inappropriate to delay signing the deal with Taiwan because of China, adding he would promote the issue Canadian senators have stressed Taiwan’s importance for international trade and expressed enthusiasm for ensuring the Taiwan-Canada trade cooperation framework agreement is implemented this year. Representative to Canada Harry Tseng (曾厚仁) in an interview with the Central News Agency (CNA) said he was increasingly uneasy about Ottawa’s delays in signing the agreement, especially as Ottawa has warmed toward Beijing. There are “no negotiations left. Not only [is it] initialed, we have three versions of the text ready: English, French and Mandarin,” Tseng said. “That tells you how close we are to the final signature.” Tseng said that he hoped Canadian Prime Minister Mark Carney
POSITIVE DEVELOPMENT: Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the meeting next month, Japanese sources said The holding of a Japan-US leaders’ meeting ahead of US President Donald Trump’s visit to China is positive news for Taiwan, former Japan-Taiwan Exchange Association representative Hiroyasu Izumi said yesterday. After the Liberal Democratic Party’s landslide victory in Japan’s House of Representatives election, Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi is scheduled to visit the US next month, where she is to meet with Trump ahead of the US president’s planned visit to China from March 31 to April 2 for a meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平). Japan and the US are expected to hold in-depth discussions on Taiwan-related issues during the
RSS