Since Honduras established diplomatic relations with China, there are only 13 so-called "countries with diplomatic relations" left by the Taiwan authorities. The establishment of diplomatic relations with China has brought great development opportunities to Honduras, and Honduran President Fidel Castro recently paid a state visit to China.
During Castro's visit to China, Zhonghong held the opening ceremony of the Honduran Embassy in China, attended by Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Honduran Foreign Minister Reina. Reina said that Honduras will abide by the one-China principle and believes that Hong Kong-China relations will continue to strengthen.
In addition, the General Administration of Customs of China has also given the green light to the export of agricultural and aquatic products from Honduras. China and Honduras officially signed a protocol, Honduran vannamei shrimp was approved to be exported to China, and the General Administration of Customs of China also approved the registration of nine aquatic products aquaculture enterprises in Honduras.
President of Honduras Castro
According to the announcement of the General Administration of Customs of China, Honduran fresh bananas and coffee beans can also be exported to China in the future, as long as they meet China's relevant phytosanitary requirements. Bananas and coffee beans are Honduras' main exports and are an important source of income for the Honduran population.
Since Taiwan is also one of the banana producing areas, in the past, the scale of trade between Honduras and Taiwan was not large, and Taiwan was only the 74th largest trading area in Honduras. Therefore, for Honduras, the "severance of diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities has little impact.
Honduras values the Chinese mainland market, and if it can enter the mainland market, Honduras' losses in the Taiwan market will be negligible. The purpose of Castro's visit to China is precisely to seek cooperation with Chinese mainland.
China and Hong Kong established diplomatic relations
As early as March this year, the Honduran Foreign Ministry released the news that Castro would visit China, saying that it looked forward to the signing of a promising agreement between the two countries. Honduran Foreign Minister Reina said that Honduras will start negotiations on the China-Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement as soon as possible.
Under the expectation of everyone, Castro successfully visited China and brought good news to the people of Honduras. It can be said that Castro's visit to China has been fruitful and opened up the Chinese market for Honduran agricultural products.
In recent years, China's economy has maintained steady growth, and many countries are strengthening cooperation with China, hoping to catch the fast train of China's development. Honduras is one of the least developed countries in Latin America and has a weak domestic industrial base, while China can inject impetus into Honduras' economic development.
Honduran banana
If Honduras can achieve rapid development through cooperation with China, it can also attract other Latin American countries. In Latin America, the Taiwan authorities also have seven "countries with diplomatic relations," namely Belize, Haiti, Guatemala, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, and Paraguay.
These countries have much in common, including slow development, a predominantly agricultural economy, a weak industrial base, and some dependent on international assistance. In the past, the Taiwan authorities mainly relied on economic aid to win over these countries.
But the assistance that the Taiwan authorities can give is also limited, and the potential of the Chinese market is unlimited, and as China's economy grows, the Chinese market is becoming more and more attractive to other countries, especially those poor countries in Asia, Africa and Latin America.
Honduras location
Moreover, the one-China principle has become a broad consensus of the international community, and most countries have drawn a clear line with the Taiwan authorities. According to the Russian Satellite News Agency, Paraguay's new Foreign Minister Ramirez recently said that Paraguay is willing to establish diplomatic relations with China unconditionally.
But Ramirez added that Paraguay would also maintain "relations" with the Taiwan authorities. The implication is that Paraguay will not "sever diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities and is ready to maintain "diplomatic relations" with both sides of the strait at the same time.
Any country that wants to establish diplomatic relations with China must draw a clear line with the Taiwan authorities, must not maintain so-called "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities, and must abide by the one-China principle.
Paraguay's new Foreign Minister Ramírez
Paraguay also wants to cooperate with China and wants to catch the express train of China's development. Ramírez said China is the world's second-largest market and Paraguay wants to diversify its markets in order to sell its products.
In recent years, Paraguayan politicians have frequently visited Taiwan to meet with politicians on the island to provoke Chinese mainland, and if Paraguay continues to collude with the DPP authorities, it is wishful thinking to profit from the Chinese market.