The World Briefly

March 16, 2023

Greener Pastures

Honduras

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Honduras will seek to establish formal diplomatic relations with China, a move that would cut off Taiwan from one of its few remaining diplomatic allies, Bloomberg reported.

Honduran President Xiomara Castro said the decision was part of an effort to diversify bilateral ties and a sign of her determination to “expand the borders freely in concert with the nations of the world.”

On Wednesday, China welcomed the announcement, describing the new relationship as “the great trend of historical development and the correct political trend of the times,” the Wall Street Journal noted.

Meanwhile, Taiwan expressed concern over Castro’s statement, noting that China’s only goal for establishing ties with the Central American nation was to limit Taipei’s space internationally.

China, which considers Taiwan part of its territory, has taken steps to diplomatically isolate the island nation.

The diplomatic shift would mean that Taiwan will now only be officially recognized by 13 countries.

In 2021, Nicaragua became the latest country to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing. The Pacific island of Kiribati did so in 2019.

China has enticed Taiwan’s diplomatic partners into switching sides using the prospect of investment and access to its immense consumer markets.

Even so, the United States, Japan and other nations have made a forceful display of support for the self-governing island. President Joe Biden has repeatedly said that the US will defend Taiwan against Chinese aggression.

In December, the US authorized up to $10 billion in weapons sales to Taiwan over the next five years.

This story originally appeared in the March 16, 2023 newsletter, The Proxy Peace.