The Chinese Embassy in Honduras held an opening ceremony, and President Hong said he would visit China with a "special mission."

Source: Global Times

On the morning of June 5, local time, the opening ceremony of the Chinese Embassy in Honduras was held in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Hong Kong. Yu Bo, chargé d'affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Honduras, said in an exclusive interview with the Global Times after the opening ceremony that this is a "historic moment" in China-Hong Kong relations, and the embassy will become a window to open China-Hong Kong relations, a bridge to deepen China-Hong Kong cooperation and a link connecting the Chinese and Hong Kong people. According to Agence France-Presse and Reuters, Honduran Foreign Minister Reina, who attended the opening ceremony of the Chinese embassy on the same day, said that Hong President Castro will leave for China this week for his first official visit after the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries. "China's influence in Honduras is increasing", EFE reported on the 5th, President Castro posted on social media on the same day that she would visit China with a "special mission", "the reconstruction of Honduras requires new political, scientific, technological, commercial and cultural vision."

Hong Fang attended the opening ceremony of the Chinese Embassy with a "high standard"

"Only a few weeks after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras, China opened an embassy in the capital of Honduras," AFP reported on the 5th, the opening ceremony was held in a hotel in Tegucigalpa, because the Chinese side has not yet determined the premises that its diplomatic mission will use. According to the reporter of the Global Times, the Chinese Embassy is temporarily working in the hotel. On 26 March this year, China and Honduras signed a joint communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations and decided to recognize each other and establish diplomatic relations at the ambassadorial level from the date of signing the communiqué. Honduras became China's 182nd country to establish diplomatic relations.

At the opening ceremony on June 5, the national anthems of China and Hong Kong were played successively. Subsequently, Yu Bo and Reina jointly inaugurated the embassy. "Today, everyone is extremely proud and proud to see the five-star red flag and the opening of the embassy." Yu Bo used the words "happy, confident and determined" to describe his mood to the Global Times reporter. He said that although the two countries have established diplomatic relations less than three months ago, the two sides have rapidly docked and cooperated in the fields of economy and trade, agriculture, science and technology, culture and education, and media, and have already reaped a number of early results, which he and his colleagues are very pleased with.

It is understood that on the same day, a number of government officials and parliamentary representatives in Honduras, representatives of foreign missions and international organizations in Hong Kong, representatives of Chinese-funded institutions and overseas Chinese in Hong Kong, about 200 people attended the opening ceremony. According to Yu Bo told the Global Times, Hong Fang attended the opening ceremony of the Chinese Embassy at a "high standard", and Vice President, Foreign Minister, Deputy Speaker and many ministers were personally present to witness this historic moment in China-Hong Kong relations. He said that since coming to Honduras to work, he and other members of the museum construction team can deeply feel the concern, attention and importance of all walks of life in Honduran society for China-Hong Kong relations.

Lasse Tomei, deputy speaker of the Honduran Parliament, attended the opening ceremony on the 5th. He told the Global Times reporter that he was very excited and happy to witness this moment at the scene, and believed that the governments and people of the two countries will establish a "brotherly, firm friendship based on mutual respect". In the future, he also looks forward to the opportunity to visit China and conduct exchanges with China's National People's Congress and other departments.

More than two months after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hong Kong, the development of relations has made a good start

"China opens an embassy, the president of Honduras will go to Beijing, and China's influence in Honduras is increasing," Spain's EFE news agency reported on the 5th, Reina told the media that they would take a commercial flight to China. "There will be very good news during the president's visit to China, a series of memorandums, documents and framework agreements will be signed." Reina said the unveiling of the Honduran embassy in Beijing is also on the agenda of President Castro's visit to China.

Portugal's Lusa News Agency said on the 5th that like China, Honduras has not yet decided on the specific location of the embassy in Beijing. President Castro announced on June 2 that Moncada, a renowned scientist and pharmacologist from Honduras, would become the first ambassador of Honduran to China. Reina confirmed to the media on the 5th that China has approved Moncada as Honduran ambassador to Beijing.

A person from Hongfang told the Global Times reporter on the 5th that Foreign Minister Rena and Siomara Zelaya, chairman of the International Affairs Committee of the Hong National Assembly, are expected to accompany the president on his visit to China.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said on the 6th that since the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hong Kong for more than two months, the two sides have firmly fulfilled their commitments to establish diplomatic relations, jointly promoted the strong start of China-Hong Kong relations on the basis of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and common development, achieved a series of early gains, and achieved a "good start", fully demonstrating that adhering to the one-China principle is the general international righteousness, the aspiration of the people, and the trend of the times, and the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hong Kong is fully in line with the fundamental and long-term interests of the two peoples. Wang Wenbin also said that Hong Fang is also actively promoting the construction of the embassy in China, and China will give strong support and assistance.

Reina told the media on the 5th that in the nearly three months since the establishment of diplomatic relations between Honduras and China, the relations between the two countries have achieved "fundamental progress". China has approved "several strategic Honduran products" for export to China, including coffee, shrimp, melons and bananas, all of which have met China's quarantine standards. In addition, a business delegation from the agricultural sector of Honduras is currently visiting China to establish contacts with the Chinese side. Reina said Hongkong-Chinese relations are making progress in various fields and will soon "bring important results for Honduras and the people of Honduras."

The United States seeks "new tools" to compete with China in Latin America

"Central American countries allied with the United States have maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan for decades, but now only Guatemala and Belize remain." EFE News Agency said on the 5th that in the past ten years, Costa Rica, Panama, El Salvador and Nicaragua have successively "severed diplomatic relations" with Taiwan and established diplomatic relations with Beijing. After Honduras established diplomatic relations with Chinese mainland, only 13 countries in the world recognized Taiwan.

Before Honduras established diplomatic relations with China, the United States tried in every possible way to pressure and obstruct it, and US President Joe Biden's special adviser on Americas, Dodd, urgently went to Honduras in March to make a final "effort", but in the end it proved to be futile. The Financial Times said in late May that Beijing's business and investment proposals had won more friends than the "goodwill" of Washington and the European Union. Reina announced last month that Honduras and China would soon launch free trade talks.

Bloomberg reported on June 2 that in the face of China's rapid growth in Latin America, the United States needs new thinking and smart response. To this end, the United States is looking for "new tools" to compete with China in Latin America. Gonzalez, senior director for Western Hemisphere Affairs at the National Security Council, said China has accelerated infrastructure construction in Latin America and has become a major trading partner for many countries, while the United States is serving as a major source of investment for the private sector. Now the United States is trying to compete with outdated tools, while China and other countries are using "tools of the future."