Expert: Choosing this time to release is a tacit agreement between China and Honduras

Source: Global Times-Global Network

On March 26, China and Honduras established diplomatic relations. Previously, on the afternoon of the 25th local time, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Honduras issued a statement announcing the severance of so-called "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan. Honduras is the ninth country to "severe" diplomatic relations with Taiwan after Tsai Ing-wen, leader of the DPP authorities, came to power. Experts interviewed by the Global Times reporter believe that the two countries' choice to establish diplomatic relations before Tsai Ing-wen's planned visit to "friendly countries" is a tacit agreement between China and Honduras, and "Taiwan independence" is a dead end. And from the statements of the United States and Taiwan, you can also feel a strong sense of frustration and complaints.

The statement issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Honduras on the 25th local time said that the Honduran government recognizes that there is only one China in the world, the government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing China, and Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. As of today, Honduras severes so-called "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan and ceases all contacts and official relations with Taiwan.

On March 26, the spokesperson of the Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement on the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras, saying that on March 26, China and Honduras signed the Joint Communiqué between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Honduras on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations. The two Governments decided to recognize each other and establish diplomatic relations at ambassadorial level from the date of the signing of the communiqué.

The speech said that there is only one China in the world, that the Government of the People's Republic of China is the sole legitimate government representing the whole of China, and that Taiwan is an inalienable part of China's territory. The one-China principle, affirmed in General Assembly resolution 2758 of 1971, is the universal consensus of the international community and the universally recognized basic norm governing international relations. Honduras is an important country in Central America. The Government of Honduras has chosen to stand with 181 countries in the world, recognizing and undertaking to abide by the one-China principle, to sever so-called "diplomatic relations" with Taiwan, to establish diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, and to undertake not to engage in any official relations with Taiwan or to conduct any official exchanges. This is the right choice to conform to the general trend and conform to the will of the people. China highly appreciates this. On the basis of the Five Principles of Peaceful Coexistence, China is willing to strengthen friendly cooperation in various fields with Hong Kong for the benefit of the two countries and peoples.

In this regard, Zheng Jian, chair professor of the Institute of Taiwan Studies of Xiamen University and director of the National Taiwan Studies Association, said in an interview with the Global Times reporter on the 26th that Honduras and Taiwan "severing diplomatic relations" and establishing diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China is the trend of the times, which is an inevitable event for changes in the regional and world pattern driven by China's rise, and it is also an inevitable choice for various countries to weigh the world trend, the general trend of the two sides of the strait and their respective interests. ”

Jiang Shixue, distinguished professor of Shanghai University and director of the Latin American Research Center, told the Global Times reporter on the 26th that Honduras must have done a lot of research work before deciding to "sever diplomatic relations" with Taiwan, and the US government and Taiwan have exerted pressure on it. ”

Expert: The US side feels frustration and is permeated with complaints

Regarding the decision of Honduras and Taiwan to "sever diplomatic relations," the United States and Taiwan immediately made a statement, and the tone was surprisingly consistent. When announcing the news at a press conference on 26 July, Wu Zhaoxie, head of Taiwan's foreign affairs department, pointed out that Honduran President Castro "has illusions about Chinese mainland lure" and also used this to "put forward billions of dollars in huge economic aid demands against Taiwan and compare the proposals on both sides of the Taiwan Strait."

According to Reuters, a spokesman for the US State Department said on March 25 local time that the "severance of diplomatic relations" between Honduras and Taiwan was a "sovereign decision" and advocated Chinese mainland "often make promises that have not been fulfilled in order to strive for diplomatic recognition."

Li Haidong, a professor at the Foreign Affairs University, said in an interview with the Global Times on the 26th that judging from the statement issued by the United States, the United States is very unwilling to do so. The one-China principle is clear, but in recent years, the United States has spread misinformation in the international community with a series of destructive actions. "The 'severance of diplomatic relations' statement between Honduras and Taiwan once again proves that more and more countries are averse to the United States' manipulation of Taiwan-related issues, and the phenomenon of the United States being alone on the Taiwan issue will become more and more obvious, so the United States feels setbacks and is filled with complaints."

The frustration is not only for the United States, but also for the DPP authorities. The latest poll released by Dongsen News Cloud on the 25th shows that the Taiwanese people's satisfaction with Tsai Ing-wen's rule is only 39.6%, and the dissatisfaction is as high as 56.1%.

Li Haidong believes that the impact of Honduras' "severance of diplomatic relations" statement on future leadership elections in the Taiwan region is also obvious; the DPP advocates "Taiwan independence" all over the world and talks about its so-called "diplomatic achievements." The final result is that there are fewer and fewer "friendly countries" and they have been slapped in the face; in the election, this is bound to become the DPP's fatal weakness.

The "severance of diplomatic relations" statement was released by experts before Tsai Ing-wen's visit: tacit understanding

According to the DPP administration's plan, Tsai Ing-wen will visit Guatemala and Belize from March 29 to April 7. And the statement of Honduras and Taiwan "severing diplomatic relations" chose to be released before Tsai Ing-wen's trip, what is the deep meaning in it?

In this regard, Zheng Jian believes that this may indicate a tacit understanding between Honduras and China, telling the DPP authorities that the road of "Taiwan independence" will become narrower and narrower, and there is a dead end ahead. At the same time, Honduras' statement of "severing diplomatic relations" is also a naked mockery of the United States.

On March 26, 2020, former US President Trump signed the so-called "Taipei Act", pledging to support Taiwan's "consolidation of diplomatic relations", which is to use US influence to threaten and induce several existing "diplomatic relations" in Taiwan not to "sever diplomatic relations" with Taiwan. "But in fact, the United States did not have enough to do this, and although it sent officials to Honduras to do lobbying work, it could not stop Honduras' choice."

In addition, another recent cross-strait event worth noting is that former Taiwan leader Ma Ying-jeou will go to the mainland on March 27 to pay homage to his ancestors and lead young students to exchange with mainland students. Li Haidong said: "On the Taiwan-related issue, both the situation and the situation are on the mainland's side, and both the mainland and Taiwan have the strength to support the peaceful reunification of the two sides of the strait, so we have confidence, confidence, and ability on the Taiwan issue." ”

Is there a way for Taiwan to retain the remaining "countries with diplomatic relations"? Expert: It is impossible to stop the departure of the followers

Honduras is the ninth country to "sever diplomatic relations" with Taiwan after Tsai Ing-wen came to power, and the "severance of diplomatic relations" also means that Taiwan's so-called "diplomatic relations" have dropped to 13. This change in the situation is a blow to Ms. Tsai and to the United States, her biggest behind-the-scenes supporter. Reuters reported that this is related to China's expanding footprint in Central America, which was once a "solid base" for Taiwan, and the United States is concerned about Beijing's expanding influence in its backyard.

Jiang Shixue said that there are still seven "countries with diplomatic relations" between Taiwan in Latin America, and it is foreseeable that the United States and Taiwan will continue to exert pressure on these countries in order to maintain so-called "diplomatic relations," and the effect remains to be seen. In the foreseeable future, more countries will take a correct stand on the major issue of whether to respect and accept the one-China international consensus. ”

Li Haidong also believes that there is no doubt that in consolidating Taiwan's so-called allies, the United States will do its best to help Taiwan, but although the United States has used the power of flood and famine, it cannot prevent its former followers from leaving itself one by one.

Li Haidong said that the one-China principle is an international consensus determined by the United Nations and one of the fundamental pillars for the stable and healthy development of the international order. Tsai Ing-wen's attempt to pursue "Taiwan independence" under the manipulation of the United States is not only undermining regional security and the authority of the United Nations, but also undermining the stability and benign development of the international order.

"China will invest more in its foreign policy at the level of contributing to the international community, which includes resolving the 'difficult and complex diseases' that have existed in the international community for a long time and are difficult to solve, and our shaping power in shaping the international situation will be more active and stronger than ever." Li Haidong pointed out that the "severance of diplomatic relations" between Honduras and Taiwan reflects that the international community is willing to stand on the side of China, the United Nations, and the transformation of the international pattern towards benign and healthy development, rather than on the side of those undesirable elements who stir up "Taiwan independence", provoke crises, and create conflicts. ”

It is worth noting that since the opening of the two sessions this year, China's diplomacy has made a series of achievements that have attracted worldwide attention. From March 20 to 22, 2023, President Xi Jinping paid a state visit to Russia, kicking off this year's Chinese head of state diplomacy. On March 10, China, Saudi Arabia, and Iran issued a trilateral joint statement in Beijing, announcing that Saudi Arabia and Iran had reached an agreement that would include an agreement to restore diplomatic relations and reopen their embassies and representative offices within up to two months. On March 26, China and Honduras established diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level.

Regarding the achievements of China's diplomacy in one month, Zheng Jian pointed out that under the background of the 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China and the comprehensive victory of the prevention and control of the new crown epidemic, exchanges and cooperation between China and the world have recovered rapidly, whether it is political exchanges, economic, cultural and people-to-people exchanges are actively carried out, and China has also shown a more proactive diplomatic posture.