BEIJING (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 15th March, 2023) Taiwan has expressed serious concern to Honduras over its intention to develop official relations with China and has asked the country's government to avoid making a "wrong decision," the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said on Wednesday.
Earlier in the day, Honduran President Xiomara Castro said she had instructed the country's foreign minister, Eduardo Reina, to start work on establishing official relations with Beijing.
"The (Taiwanese) foreign ministry has received information about Honduran President Xiomara Castro's statement on the start of the development of official relations with China. The ministry expressed its serious concern to the republic's government," a statement read.
Taiwan has repeatedly made it clear to Honduras that the island is a sincere and reliable partner, while China's sole objective in developing relations with Honduras is to allegedly reduce Taiwan's place in the international arena, the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry added.
"We ask the Honduran side to carefully weigh everything and not fall into China's trap, as well as avoid making a wrong decision that will harm the long-term friendship of the parties," the statement read.
Today, Taiwan has diplomatic ties with and is, thus, officially recognized by 14 countries � Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Eswatini, Tuvalu, and the Vatican. Taipei also maintains economic and cultural ties with some other states, while having no official diplomatic relations.
In recent years, a number of countries, including El Salvador, Dominican Republic, Burkina Faso, Panama, Kiribati, Solomon Islands and Nicaragua, decided to cut ties with Taiwan and establish official relations with China instead.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan � a territory with its own elected government � maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.
