Taiwan is looking forward to re-establishing ties with former ally Honduras and has been in touch with both of the presidential candidates who are friendly toward Taipei, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said today.
Salvador Nasralla, who yesterday took a razor-thin lead in Honduras' presidential election, and his closest rival Nasry Asfura have said they may resume diplomatic relations with Taiwan if elected.
Ties with Taipei were severed by the government of outgoing Honduran President Xiomara Castro in 2023.
Photo: Tien Yu-hua, Taipei Times
Speaking to reporters at the legislature in Taipei, Lin said that with the vote count still underway, the government was closely monitoring the situation.
"As for the two presidential candidates who are friendly toward Taiwan, we have maintained good interactions with both of them. We also look forward to Taiwan and Honduras being able, after this election, to establish diplomatic relations based on equality and mutual benefit," he added.
Asked whether this meant ties could be restored, he said: "We have an open attitude, and we will actively engage with the president-elect to discuss the future of our bilateral diplomatic relations. We have continued to maintain channels of communication with all camps."
Such a move would represent the biggest diplomatic setback for China in the region since 1990, when the Nicaraguan government of Violeta Chamorro re-established its own relations with Taipei.
Yesterday in Beijing, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Lin Jian (林劍) said the election was an internal matter for Honduras.
"Since China and Honduras established diplomatic relations in March 2023, bilateral relations have developed rapidly, and cooperation in various fields has yielded fruitful results, bringing tangible benefits to the people of both countries," he said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The next minimum wage hike is expected to exceed NT$30,000, President William Lai (賴清德) said yesterday during an award ceremony honoring “model workers,” including migrant workers, at the Presidential Office ahead of Workers’ Day today. Lai said he wished to thank the awardees on behalf of the nation and extend his most sincere respect for their hard work, on which Taiwan’s prosperity has been built. Lai specifically thanked 10 migrant workers selected for the award, saying that although they left their home countries to further their own goals, their efforts have benefited Taiwan as well. The nation’s industrial sector and small businesses lay
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
RSS