Honduras to Seek China Relations? 邦誼生變? 宏總統宣布已指示外長與中建交

Honduran President Xiomara Castro said on Tuesday she had asked the country's foreign minister to open official relations with China. Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed serious concerns to the Honduran government and emphasized that Taiwan is a sincere and reliable cooperative partner to our allies. 

Xiomara Castro (Jan. 28, 2022), Honduras President: “The people of Honduras are grateful for Taiwan's long-term help. Over the years the two countries have worked hand in hand. I hope that the two countries will continue to maintain their friendship in the future.”

Xiomara Castro took office as the new Honduran President in January 2022. Vice President William Lai personally led a delegation to the inauguration. Castro expressed hope that the two countries can continue to maintain their diplomatic friendship. She announced on Twitter on the 14th that she had instructed her foreign minister Eduardo Reina to establish diplomatic relations with China, which represented her determination to abide by the government's plan to freely expand frontiers in concert with the nations of the world.

William Lai (Jan. 28, 2022), Vice President: “When President Castro was running for office, she once expressed her wish to make another choice. But this matter has been satisfactorily resolved.”

Castro is the first female president in the history of Honduras. During her campaign, she said that if elected, she would immediately open diplomatic and trade relations with China. Both U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris and Vice President William Lai attended the inauguration ceremony. Taiwan also donated rapid screening reagents during the pandemic, and the diplomatic crisis was eased for a while.

Jeff Liu, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson: “The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has grasped the information and has expressed serious concern to the Honduran government. We asked them to please consider carefully and not fall into China's trap. A wrong decision may damage the years-long friendship between Taiwan and Honduras.”

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs expressed serious concerns to the Honduran government and emphasized that Taiwan is a sincere and reliable cooperative partner to our allies. China has no intention to sincerely promote cooperation. The Honduran ambassador to Taiwan went to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs at 11:00 a.m. on the 15th. At present, Taiwan has diplomatic relations with only 14 countries. The MFA is actively communicating with the Honduran government.

宏都拉斯總統卡蕬楚（2022／01／28）表示：「宏國人民感激台灣長期來的幫助，多年來兩國攜手合作，希望未來兩國能繼續維持邦誼。」

2022年1月宏都拉斯新任總統卡蕬楚上任，副總統賴清德親自率團出席，卡蕬楚表示希望兩國能夠繼續維持邦誼，事隔一年，2023年3月14號，卡斯楚就在推特宣布已經已指示宏都拉斯外交部長雷依納，處理與中國建立正式關係事宜，這代表她決心遵守政府計畫，並且和世界各國一起自由擴大邊界。

賴清德（2022／01／28）指出：「卡斯楚總統在競選的時候，曾經表達過要做別種選擇，但這個事情已經圓滿解決了。」

卡斯楚是宏都拉斯史上第一位女總統。她在競選期間就曾表示，如果當選，將立即開啟與中國的外交和貿易關係。後來美國副總統賀錦麗與賴清德都有參加就職典禮，台灣還贈送快篩試劑，邦交生變危機一度緩和。

外交部發言人劉永健表示：「外交部已掌握訊息，並已向宏國政府表達嚴正關切。請宏方認真審慎考慮，切勿落入中國的圈套，做出損及台宏多年友誼的錯誤決定。」

外交部強調台灣是友邦真誠可靠的合作夥伴，中國並無意真心推展合作，宏都拉斯駐台大使也在11時前往外交部。目前台灣只剩下14個邦交國，根據了解台宏雙方還在積極溝通當中，宏國還沒明確表示要與台灣斷交。