The special adviser to the president of the United States for the Americas, Christopher Dodd, will travel to Honduras and Panama on Friday, the embassy of the North American country in Tegucigalpa reported on Thursday.
In Panama, Dodd will attend the annual meeting of the Inter-American Development Bank (IDB) and meet with regional banking and financial leaders, as well as Panamanian officials.
In Honduras, the official will meet with Honduran politicians and representatives of the private sector, after the government of President Xiomara Castro announced that it will begin efforts to establish relations with China. Dodd will end his trip on Tuesday of next week.
“These visits further the United States’ commitment to fostering inclusive economic growth, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law in the Western Hemisphere,” the embassy explained in a statement.
The Honduran announcement to establish diplomatic relations with China could harm its relationship with the United States, its main trading partner, experts agree. In recent years, China has strengthened its diplomatic and commercial presence in Latin America and Washington has shown its concern about the Chinese advance in the region.
China does not allow countries with which it has diplomatic relations to maintain official ties with Taiwan, which it claims as its own territory without the right to state-to-state ties.
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