Honduras orders eviction of Taiwan embassy, ​​US regrets “sovereign decision”

The Honduran government gave the Taiwan embassy in Tegucigalpa 30 days Monday to leave the country, after the administration of leftist President Xiomara Castro break bilateral tiesin a gesture towards China with a view to obtaining more assistance from the Asian giant.

Honduran Vice Foreign Minister Antonio Garcia gave the statement on local television, following the government’s announcement over the weekend that it had established formal diplomatic relations with Beijing, while at the same time ending its decades-long ties with Taiwan.

“That’s more than enough time to pack up and go,” Garcia said on a television show, referring to the 30-day limit. “We are going to give Taiwan all the support they need for an orderly, friendly exit.”

In response, the opposition National Party of Honduras, second in the last presidential elections, considered that with the break “a vulgar economic transaction has been consummated” and promised to do everything possible to resume relations with Taiwan if it wins the 2026 elections.

The vice foreign minister also assured that the deadline for the departure of the Taiwanese diplomatic representation was agreed with Beijing, and noted that he hopes that the Chinese presence “will come soon.”

“We have to send a diplomatic mission (…) we have to go there to explore the great projects that China can give us,” said García. “There is talk of dams, there is talk of a railway channel,” added the official, who mentioned possible investments of some 10,000 million dollars.

A “sovereign decision”

On the same Monday, the deputy spokesman for the Department of State, Vedan Patel, regretted the latest decisions of the Honduran government, but stressed that “ultimately” it is the decision of a sovereign country.

“Ultimately it is a sovereign decision,” Patel insisted on several occasions, at a press conference. “It should be noted that the Chinese Communist Party often makes promises in exchange for diplomatic recognition that are ultimately not fulfilled.”

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The spokesperson stressed that there are “many current examples” that reinforce this argument “both in Latin America and throughout the world.” Among the examples, Patel spoke, without going into detail, of “Belt and Road Initiative projects or loans that end up suffocating countries with a complex and bad debt”.

“Regardless of its decision, the US will continue to deepen our commitment to Taiwan, in line with our one-China policy,” he concluded.

[Parte del reporte procede de Reuters]

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