The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) yesterday said it had expressed “grave concern” after Honduran Minister of Foreign Affairs Enrique Reina met with Chinese Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Xie Feng (謝峰) on Jan. 1.
A report by Honduran newspaper La Prensa said that Reina met with Xie while both were in Brasilia for the inauguration of Brazilian President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva.
Reina said after the meeting that the talks had focused on China’s potential involvement in the construction of a hydroelectric dam in Honduras.
The meeting sparked concerns in Taipei that Beijing was trying to persuade Honduras to break off ties with Taiwan and establish diplomatic relations with China, MOFA said in a statement that Ambassador to Honduras Vivia Chang (張俊菲) had expressed Taiwan’s serious concern to Reina.
The ministry said that Beijing offers “false promises” to Taipei’s allies, with the sole purpose of snatching them away to diminish Taiwan’s international presence.
China has repeatedly failed to deliver on promises made to countries that cut ties with Taipei in favor of Beijing, the ministry said.
Unlike China, Taiwan had for many years pushed forward projects that improved the livelihood of Hondurans, and have won nonpartisan support and approval in the country, it said.
Honduras is an important ally of Taiwan, it said, adding that the Taiwanese government would continue working with like-minded countries to help development in the Central American country.
MOFA’s statement was released after the Central News Agency asked it to comment on a report by the Chinese-language Liberty Times (the sister paper of the Taipei Times) earlier yesterday.
The report quoted unnamed sources as saying that Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Yui visited the nation’s Latin American allies in a bid to cement relations following rumors that some could sever diplomatic ties with Taipei.
The source did not say which country Yui had visited.
Of the 14 states that maintain diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (ROC), three are in Latin America: Guatemala, Honduras and Paraguay.
The ROC and Honduras established diplomatic relations in 1941 when the ROC government was still based in China.
Those official ties were reported to be shaky in 2021, when Xiomara Castro, the wife of ousted former Honduran president Jose Manuel Zelaya, was running for president, which she won in the Nov. 28 election that year.
Statements made by her campaign raised concerns that Castro might end Honduras’ diplomatic relationship with Taipei in favor of ties with Beijing.
However, in a meeting with Vice President William Lai (賴清德) during her inauguration in January last year, Castro allayed Taipei’s fears by stating that she hoped to maintain the two countries’ current relationship.
On Jan. 8, online news outlet Paradigma said that Zelaya had called for Honduras to break off ties with Taiwan and recognize China instead, hinting that the Central American ally could soon switch diplomatic recognition.
Honduras’ embassy in Taipei yesterday declined to comment.
CARGO LOSS: About 50 containers at the stern of the ‘Ever Lunar’ cargo ship went overboard, prompting the temporary closure of the port and disrupting operations Evergreen Marine Corp, Taiwan’s largest container shipper, yesterday said that all crew members aboard the Ever Lunar (長月) were safe after dozens of containers fell overboard off the coast of Peru the previous day. The incident occurred at 9:40am on Friday as the Ever Lunar was anchored and waiting to enter the Port of Callao when it suddenly experienced severe rolling, Evergreen said in a statement. The rolling, which caused the containers to fall, might have been caused by factors including a tsunami triggered by an earthquake in Russia, poor winter sea conditions in South America or a sudden influx of waves,
The Ministry of Culture yesterday officially launched the “We TAIWAN” cultural program on Osaka’s Nakanoshima sandbank, with the program’s mascot receiving overwhelming popularity. The cultural program, which runs from Aug. 2 to 20, was designed to partner with and capitalize on the 2025 World Expo that is being held in Osaka, Japan, from April 13 to Oct. 13, the ministry said. On the first day of the cultural program, its mascot, a green creature named “a-We,” proved to be extremely popular, as its merch was immediately in high demand. Long lines formed yesterday for the opening
The Taipei Summer Festival is to begin tomorrow at Dadaocheng Wharf (大稻埕), featuring four themed firework shows and five live music performances throughout the month, the Taipei Department of Information and Tourism said today. The festival in the city’s Datong District (大同) is to run until Aug. 30, holding firework displays on Wednesdays and the final Saturday of the event. The first show is scheduled for tomorrow, followed by Aug. 13, 20 and 30. To celebrate the 30th anniversary of Disney Pixar's movie Toy Story, the festival has partnered with Walt Disney Co (Taiwan) to host a special themed area on
BE CAREFUL: The virus rarely causes severe illness or death, but newborns, older people and those with medical conditions are at risk of more severe illness As more than 7,000 cases of chikungunya fever have been reported in China’s Guangdong Province this year, including 2,892 new cases last week, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) yesterday said it is monitoring the situation and considering raising the travel notice level, which might be announced today. The CDC issued a level 1 travel notice, or “watch,” for Guangdong Province on July 22, citing an outbreak in Foshan, a manufacturing hub in the south of the province, that was reported early last month. Between July 27 and Saturday, the province reported 2,892 new cases of chikungunya, reaching a total of 7,716