Not long ago, Honduran presidential candidate Castro said that if he could win the final general election, he would sever his "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities and re-establish diplomatic relations with Chinese mainland. This news upset the Taiwan authorities, because Honduras was already one of the few remaining "countries with diplomatic relations." The United States was also keenly aware of this signal and once again exercised long-arm jurisdiction to prevent Honduras from establishing diplomatic relations with the mainland.
Recently, US Assistant Secretary of State Bryan led a delegation to visit Honduras, although US State Department officials said that the US side will not take sides in this election, but according to Reuters news, during this visit to Honduras, the delegation clearly put pressure on the two presidential candidates to maintain "long-term diplomatic relations" with Taiwan.
The Taiwan authorities now have 15 so-called "countries with diplomatic relations, and these countries, like Honduras, are almost all small and widowed. But even so, the Taiwan authorities and even the United States attach great importance to the changes in the foreign policy of these small countries. This is because the number of "countries with diplomatic relations" of the Taiwan authorities has decreased, which not only means that the conspiracy of "Taiwan independence" elements is being thwarted, but also means that the influence of the Chinese mainland in the world is gradually increasing. For the United States, they are more worried about the latter.
Take Honduras, for example, one of the least developed countries in South America. In particular, the epidemic has made the country's economic situation worse, with GDP falling by 9% last year. The reason why the country's development status quo is so bad is also inseparable from its long-term unstable political situation.
In 2009, the country's former president was overthrown in a military coup, but the president went on to form the Freedom and Reconstruction Party and nominated his wife for the 2013 election. His wife is Castro, who is running in the election again this year. In that year's election, the final victory was won by the current president, Ellands.
However, the accusations that Hernandez later carried also once again made people feel the magic realism of South America. In 2017, after his successful re-election in another general election, opposition parties accused him of electoral fraud. The United States also joined in the fun, giving the charge of participating in drug trafficking. With such a president and such a chaotic political arena, it is no wonder that Honduras has not been able to develop.
But no matter how underdeveloped, Honduras also belongs to the Americas. From the point of view of the United States, South America is their back garden, so they are completely unable to accept the idea that Honduras will abandon its "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities and choose Chinese mainland. Therefore, even if it has not yet become a reality, the US side still "tirelessly" sends diplomatic delegations to exert pressure. However, the US government does not seem to have considered why Honduras would make such a choice.
Objectively speaking, Honduras, an already underdeveloped country with little influence in the world, does not really care about who establishes diplomatic relations with, and what they value more is who can help them. This is also the reason why the former Taiwan authorities were able to win over a number of countries with diplomatic relations by virtue of the so-called "gold-dollar diplomacy." But this kind of means is not long-term, after all, the annual number of aid will not allow a country to achieve real development, but it may allow the country's politicians to take the opportunity to amass wealth.
A typical example is Ellands, for example, whose children did not stay in Honduras but worked or studied in Taiwan. So if you want to develop your country, these small countries have to seek a strong partner. Castro set his sights on Chinese mainland. Because she knows very well that if she can successfully establish diplomatic relations with China, she will definitely be able to get enough help, including the urgently needed epidemic assistance in Honduras.
In contrast, neither the Taiwan authorities nor the United States behind them will only write empty checks. It is just that this time, the United States is not ashamed at all, directly putting the threat on the surface, and clearly wanting to interfere in the internal affairs of Honduras, which is inevitably too anxious and damages the image of the superpower. Of course, although the US approach has caused countless complaints, it is not completely unexpected.
After all, in recent times, the US Government has been frantically playing the Taiwan card, and has even beaten itself up many times, preaching respect for the one-China principle while constantly provoking the "Taiwan independence" forces. At present, the United States refuses to give up the Taiwan card because they believe that this means can truly influence the Chinese mainland, and the "Taiwan independence" forces have also developed unrealistic illusions because of various us moves.
However, for the United States and all the countries or organizations that try to create divisions, China has long said that there is only one China in the world, and "Taiwan independence" is a dead end. Therefore, I hope that these people with wrong minds can restrain themselves from the precipice and not wait for punishment to regret it.