Honduras also cuts ties with Taiwan

AFPThe flag of Honduras and Taiwan on the China Square in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras

NOS Nieuws•vandaag, 04:14

Honduras will immediately break diplomatic ties with Taiwan and will increase cooperation with China. This has been announced by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Central American country.

An official statement said that the government of Honduras recognizes that there is only one China and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory.

Honduras was one of fourteen countries that officially recognized Taiwan. Most countries do not have full-fledged diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which China sees as a renegade province.

Mainly countries in Central and South America recognize Taiwan, but that list is getting smaller. Panama and Nicaragua previously also severed ties with Taiwan. As a result, China’s influence in this part of the world is growing.

Flag removed

The decision comes shortly after a visit to China by the Honduran foreign minister. Taiwan had already summoned the ambassador of Honduras for this.

In response to the decision, Taiwan immediately removed the flag of Honduras from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

The Netherlands does not recognize Taiwan as a sovereign country, but does have a trade office in the capital Taipei. To the anger of China, the Netherlands changed the name of that office from ‘Netherlands Trade and Investment Office’ to ‘Netherlands Office’ in 2020. According to China, the name would sound too much like an official representation.

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