Honduran presidential candidate Xiomara Castro has not made a final decision on whether to recognize China over Taiwan, a close aide said on Tuesday ahead of Sunday elections in which the question has emerged as a major issue.
Libre party candidate Castro faces the ruling National Party’s Nasry Asfura in the presidential vote, with a poll last month showing the opposition contender with a commanding double-digit lead.
“There isn’t a definitive decision,” said Hugo Noe, a Castro adviser who leads her platform-writing team.
Photo: AFP
Asfura has not taken a position on the diplomatic tug-of-war.
Honduras is one of just 15 countries that maintain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan.
Castro, the wife of former Honduran president Manuel Zelaya, had previously said that if victorious, she would switch the Central American country’s diplomatic relations to Beijing.
Photo: Reuters
Castro’s final decision would depend on “the advantages and disadvantages that other sectors might propose,” Noe said, adding that further consultations would be carried out.
Earlier this month, Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernandez visited Taipei, expressing his desire that Honduras would continue its friendship with the nation.
China’s efforts to win over Taiwan’s remaining allies have worried the US.
“That would be one of the elements to be evaluated,” Noe said, referring to US sensitivities. “We would have to take those elements into account, because other things, like Honduran [migrants] in the United States, our trade ties, would also be at stake.”
Taiwan is gearing up to celebrate the New Year at events across the country, headlined by the annual countdown and Taipei 101 fireworks display at midnight. Many of the events are to be livesteamed online. See below for lineups and links: Taipei Taipei’s New Year’s Party 2026 is to begin at 7pm and run until 1am, with the theme “Sailing to the Future.” South Korean girl group KARA is headlining the concert at Taipei City Hall Plaza, with additional performances by Amber An (安心亞), Nick Chou (周湯豪), hip-hop trio Nine One One (玖壹壹), Bii (畢書盡), girl group Genblue (幻藍小熊) and more. The festivities are to
Auckland rang in 2026 with a downtown fireworks display launched from New Zealand’s tallest structure, Sky Tower, making it the first major city to greet the new year at a celebration dampened by rain, while crowds in Taipei braved the elements to watch Taipei 101’s display. South Pacific countries are the first to bid farewell to 2025. Clocks struck midnight in Auckland, with a population of 1.7 million, 18 hours before the famous ball was to drop in New York’s Times Square. The five-minute display involved 3,500 fireworks launched from the 240m Sky Tower. Smaller community events were canceled across New Zealand’s
‘IRRESPONSIBLE’: Beijing’s constant disruption of the ‘status quo’ in the Taiwan Strait has damaged peace, stability and security in the Indo-Pacific region, MOFA said The Presidential Office yesterday condemned China’s launch of another military drill around Taiwan, saying such actions are a “unilateral provocation” that destabilizes regional peace and stability. China should immediately stop the irresponsible and provocative actions, Presidential Office spokeswoman Karen Kuo (郭雅慧) said, after the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) yesterday announced the start of a new round of joint exercises around Taiwan by the army, navy and air force, which it said were approaching “from different directions.” Code-named “Justice Mission 2025,” the exercises would be conducted in the Taiwan Strait and in areas north, southwest, southeast and east of Taiwan
UNDER WAY: The contract for advanced sensor systems would be fulfilled in Florida, and is expected to be completed by June 2031, the Pentagon said Lockheed Martin has been given a contract involving foreign military sales to Taiwan to meet what Washington calls “an urgent operational need” of Taiwan’s air force, the Pentagon said on Wednesday. The contract has a ceiling value of US$328.5 million, with US$157.3 million in foreign military sales funds obligated at the time of award, the Pentagon said in a statement. “This contract provides for the procurement and delivery of 55 Infrared Search and Track Legion Enhanced Sensor Pods, processors, pod containers and processor containers required to meet the urgent operational need of the Taiwan air force,” it said. The contract’s work would be
RSS