No one expected that Honduras would establish diplomatic relations with China so quickly.
On March 15, the current president of Honduras, and the first female president, Xiomara Castro (wife of former Honduran President Zelaya), tweeted that he had instructed Honduran Foreign Minister Reina to handle the establishment of diplomatic relations with China. Just a dozen days later, on March 26, China and Honduras jointly announced the establishment of diplomatic relations.
This rocket-like speed also surprised the world.
Located in northern Central America, Honduras was a Spanish colony that means "deep" in Spanish, and declared its independence on September 15, 1821, with a small population of about 10.11 million. In 1838, a republic was established after the dissolution of the Central American Federation, but regime changes were frequent. Between 1821 and 1978, there were 139 coups in Honduras.
Honduras belonged to the Mayan civilization, and in Maya times, two sides were at war, and if one side was defeated, the men of the defeated side were executed, while the women were left as victorious objects and traded freely. To this day, this folk custom has been preserved. The local government could not do anything about it but to limit the time, place and number of transactions, for example, by stipulating that buying and selling could not be carried out every day, but only once every three months, and that it needed to be carried out in a designated "bazaar".
As one of the birthplaces of the Mayan civilization, Honduras is rich in mineral deposits, ranking first in Central America, and is known as the "Silver Hill". At that time, Spanish colonists came here to dig up silver, and then used the stolen silver to trade with China, buying tea, porcelain, silk, art and so on produced in China.
It should be pointed out that the essence of the so-called great voyage of the West is to colonize and plunder gold and silver around the world, especially gold and silver from the Americas, to engage in trade with China.
In the northwest of Honduras, there is the remains of an ancient Mayan city called Copan. Covering an area of about 15 hectares, the site is known as one of the oldest and most magnificent ruins of the ancient city of the Mayan civilization. In 1980, the Copan Mayan site was inscribed on the United Nations World Heritage List.
Regarding the origin between the Maya civilization and the Chinese civilization, the author has described in detail in previous articles (the specific content is in the article list), not only the ancestors of the Maya people came from China, but also according to the literature, during the Wei, Jin, Southern and Northern Dynasties, there were Chinese monks who traveled between the continent of Shenzhou and the Americas. Because of this, it is not surprising that jade tablets and jadeite have been unearthed at Mayan sites.
Today's Honduras, as an island country, is mainly based on agriculture, forestry, animal husbandry and fishery, rich in coffee, bananas, cotton, coconut, tobacco, sugar cane, etc., and its economy is relatively backward, with a per capita GDP of only $2,831 in 2021, making it one of the least developed countries in Latin America.
However, coffee exported from Honduras is of good quality, often with floral or fruity aromas, suitable for direct brewing or processing. As of January 2022, Honduras has become the third largest coffee exporter in Latin America and the largest in Central America. In 2020, Honduran coffee exports amounted to US$870 million.
So why is Honduras so anxious to establish diplomatic relations with China?
It boils down to several reasons:
First, the decline of the Citi country, China's mediation of Saudi Arabia and Iran's resumption of diplomatic relations, from which we can see China's increasingly powerful influence, which is the tide and trend of history, unstoppable. The early establishment of diplomatic relations with China can win favor and win the first opportunity.
Second, Central and South America have always been regarded as the backyard of Citi, but China has gradually shown a different influence in the region. In recent years, some neighboring countries in Central America, such as Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador and Nicaragua, have severed diplomatic relations with Taiwan Province and established diplomatic relations with China. After the establishment of diplomatic relations with China, the above-mentioned countries' economic and trade relations with China have continued to warm up, and they have joined the "Belt and Road" plan to participate in the grand event. With China's help, the economic development of these countries has made remarkable achievements in just a few years. In short, the benefits of economic cooperation with China are large and obvious. Honduras sees it in the eyes, anxious in the heart, if not the slightest envy, it is self-deception.
Third, Honduras's economy is in trouble, not only with a shortage of domestic resources, but also with huge debt,—— combined internal and external debt, which is as high as US$14.661 billion (data at the beginning of 2022). This is undoubtedly a very heavy debt for an island country with scarce resources. Honduras, where 75 per cent of the population lives below the poverty line, is in a difficult economic situation due to a chronic trade deficit, and if the economic problems are not addressed, the resulting crimes such as drug dealing, gang activities, violent crime, and extortion cannot be effectively curbed.
Although Honduras is eager to change the status quo by receiving external support in infrastructure, energy supply, education and health, it is undoubtedly difficult for Honduras, whose economy is strained.
Looking at the world, only China can fully meet these needs of Dongduras.
Before establishing diplomatic relations with China, Honduras had proposed to Taiwan Province, which was "engaged in financial aid diplomacy," that it hoped to increase the amount of aid originally promised by Taiwan Province of $50 million over four years to $100 million and reschedule the $600 million debt issue, but this did not get the approval of the Taiwan authorities.
Fourth, the wheel of history is rolling forward, and the establishment of diplomatic relations with China is the trend of history and the aspiration of the people. Up to now, 181 countries in the world have established diplomatic relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle.
Honduras needs investment, China can give; Honduras needs a loan, China can give; Honduras needs technical cooperation, and China is the most suitable; Honduras needs infrastructure construction, and China's construction capacity dares to call it second, and no one dares to call it first.
Honduras needs regional security, and China can provide the same in the future. China can even stabilize the order of the powder keg in the Middle East and exert influence, and a small Central American region is naturally not a problem.
Many countries around the world have long recognized that China is a strong and reliable partner, and Honduras, although belated, has finally woken up.
Look to the East, where the future lies.
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