Taiwan yesterday reminded its diplomatic ally Honduras of Beijing’s record of broken promises, after the Latin American nation’s main opposition party pledged to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing.
The left-wing Liberty and Refoundation Party (LIBRE), led by ousted former Honduran president Manuel Zelaya, on Sunday said that if it wins November’s presidential election it would seek to establish diplomatic relations with China and “readjust” the country’s debt.
The party is for a second time fielding Zelaya’s wife, Xiomara Castro, who set out her plans at a news conference in Tegucigalpa.
Photo: Reuters
“I will order an international audit on the internal and external debt, and the readjustment of it,” said Castro, 61, without elaborating on what steps that would entail.
Honduras currently has diplomatic relations with Taiwan, but if victorious, Castro said she would “immediately open diplomatic and commercial relations with mainland China.”
Honduras is among only 15 UN member countries that maintain formal relations with Taiwan.
“Honduras must understand that the Chinese government’s promises have always been all flash and no substance,” Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said, adding that Beijing would try any “ploys to sabotage Taiwan’s diplomatic relations with our allies.”
The government was aware of the agenda outlined by LIBRE candidate Castro and would pay close attention to any developments, she added.
Taiwan and Honduras have enjoyed diplomatic relations for 80 years, during which they have cooperated on many successful projects universally supported by the Honduran government and its people, Ou said.
Building on this deep friendship, Taiwan would continue to improve cooperation and consolidate ties between the two nations, she added.
At the end of last year, Honduras had public debt of more than US$13 billion, equivalent to 55 percent of GDP, Honduran Ministry of Finance data showed.
Of that, US$8.45 billion was foreign debt.
No reliable polling has yet been published for the election, in which several candidates are to face Tegucigalpa Mayor Nasry Asfura, who is backed by Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez.
Hernandez’s rule has been dogged by allegations of vote-rigging in 2017 and accusations raised in US courts, which he denies, of his links to drug traffickers.
However, he remains an influential figure and his National Party is still the strongest force in Honduran politics.
Additional reporting by AFP
RETHINK? The defense ministry and Navy Command Headquarters could take over the indigenous submarine project and change its production timeline, a source said Admiral Huang Shu-kuang’s (黃曙光) resignation as head of the Indigenous Submarine Program and as a member of the National Security Council could affect the production of submarines, a source said yesterday. Huang in a statement last night said he had decided to resign due to national security concerns while expressing the hope that it would put a stop to political wrangling that only undermines the advancement of the nation’s defense capabilities. Taiwan People’s Party Legislator Vivian Huang (黃珊珊) yesterday said that the admiral, her older brother, felt it was time for him to step down and that he had completed what he
Taiwan has experienced its most significant improvement in the QS World University Rankings by Subject, data provided on Sunday by international higher education analyst Quacquarelli Symonds (QS) showed. Compared with last year’s edition of the rankings, which measure academic excellence and influence, Taiwanese universities made great improvements in the H Index metric, which evaluates research productivity and its impact, with a notable 30 percent increase overall, QS said. Taiwanese universities also made notable progress in the Citations per Paper metric, which measures the impact of research, achieving a 13 percent increase. Taiwanese universities gained 10 percent in Academic Reputation, but declined 18 percent
CHINA REACTS: The patrol and reconnaissance plane ‘transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,’ the 7th Fleet said, while Taipei said it saw nothing unusual The US 7th Fleet yesterday said that a US Navy P-8A Poseidon flew through the Taiwan Strait, a day after US and Chinese defense heads held their first talks since November 2022 in an effort to reduce regional tensions. The patrol and reconnaissance plane “transited the Taiwan Strait in international airspace,” the 7th Fleet said in a news release. “By operating within the Taiwan Strait in accordance with international law, the United States upholds the navigational rights and freedoms of all nations.” In a separate statement, the Ministry of National Defense said that it monitored nearby waters and airspace as the aircraft
UNDER DISCUSSION: The combatant command would integrate fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups to defend waters closest to the coastline, a source said The military could establish a new combatant command as early as 2026, which would be tasked with defending Taiwan’s territorial waters 24 nautical miles (44.4km) from the nation’s coastline, a source familiar with the matter said yesterday. The new command, which would fall under the Naval Command Headquarters, would be led by a vice admiral and integrate existing fast attack boat and anti-ship missile groups, along with the Naval Maritime Surveillance and Reconnaissance Command, said the source, who asked to remain anonymous. It could be launched by 2026, but details are being discussed and no final timetable has been announced, the source