In the past few days, the news of Honduran President Castro Castro (I have repeatedly confirmed that it is indeed Castro, basically the same name as the Cuban leader) is overwhelming, which is a great victory for China's diplomacy and the best interpretation of the right and the unrighteous!
Our Foreign Ministry spokesperson, Ms. Hua Chunying, personally greeted her at the airport, and after arriving in Beijing, not only rolled out the red carpet and played a salute for her, but also reviewed the honor guard of China's three armed services, and Hua Chunying personally accompanied her to visit the Tiananmen Forbidden City and other scenic spots; That evening, Chinese leaders also hosted a banquet for their entourage in the Golden Hall of the Great Hall of the People. This time, it can be said that China has given enough face to a small country like Honduras, of course, this is also China's respect for new friends in accordance with the principle of peaceful coexistence. In the past, Honduras has maintained official ties with Taiwan's Taiwan independence forces, and has sent consulates to each other, etc., and it was not until the election of new President Fidel Castro in March this year that it decided to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which can be said to be under great pressure from the United States, Honduras resolutely decided to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan, establish formal diplomatic relations with Chinese mainland, and require Taiwan to move all items from the embassy in Honduras by April. Including the evacuation of all personnel of the embassy in Hong Kong, it can be said that it shows full sincerity in establishing diplomatic relations, until the visit of the president of Honduras to China in the past two days, which has raised China-Hong Kong relations to a new height!
On June 13, a grand welcoming ceremony was held in Tiananmen Square to welcome Honduran President Fidel Castro to visit China!
Let's take a brief look at Honduras:
Honduras is located in northern Central America. It is bordered to the north by the Caribbean Sea, to the south by the Gulf of Fonseca in the Pacific Ocean, to the east and south by Nicaragua and El Salvador, and to the west by Guatemala. The coastline is 1033 km long. The coastal climate is tropical rainforest, with an average annual temperature of 27°C; The central mountains are cool and dry, with an average annual temperature of 23°C. The whole year is divided into two seasons, June ~ October is the rainy season, November ~ May is the dry season.
The country has an area of 112,500 square kilometers. The population is 10.22 million, of which 90% are Indo-European mestizos, followed by 7% Indians, 2% Africans, and 1% Europeans. The capital is Tegucigalpa, the main language is Spanish, and 95.8% of the inhabitants are Catholic.
Agriculture is the leading industry of the national economy of Honduras, and its industrial base is relatively weak. It mainly exports coffee, bananas, palm oil, shrimp, sugar, tobacco and other crops and mineral products such as zinc, lead and silver, and the main export targets are the United States, the European Union and Central American countries; It mainly imports machinery, electronic equipment, chemical products, fuels, lubricants, manufactured goods and grain, and the main import source countries are the United States, the European Union, Central American countries and Japan.
The Embassy of Honduras in China officially opened
I remember former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill saying that "there are no eternal friends or eternal enemies between countries, only eternal interests!" "Under the premise that more than 200 countries and regions in the world and more than 183 countries or indeed have established diplomatic relations with China, the establishment of diplomatic relations between Honduras and China is already the trend of the times, and no country or power can stop it, and the establishment of diplomatic relations between Honduras and China will only benefit their own countries and help their own countries to develop rapidly in the future, rather than setting obstacles for themselves!" Today's China is gaining momentum, although it is still the second oldest in the world, but after all, it is not Adou, nor the former Soviet Union or Japan, it is not what you want to handle, after all, our size is there. We are confident that one day we will stand tall among the nations of the world and realize the great rejuvenation of the Chinese nation!
Former British Prime Minister Winston Churchill was a hawk who resolutely resisted fascism during World War II, and his victorious scissorhands are still very hot until now!
I believe that the current president of Honduras is a president who opens his eyes to the world and truly seeks happiness for his own people, so before his presidential election, he proposed to sever diplomatic relations with Taiwan, establish diplomatic relations with Chinese mainland, and seek greater welfare for the Honduran people! I just didn't expect her style to act so crisply and neatly, and she started to act right away! Of course, we in China have always attached importance to peaceful coexistence, regardless of the size of the country, strong or weak, all are treated equally, which makes many leaders of small countries, especially those who have been looked down upon by world powers in the past, and even often plundered and bullied, but because of the weak national strength, they can only suffer from the puff; China treats them completely differently, see how China treats African countries at the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation; Please take a look at the new Belt and Road advocated by China, all countries along the route, we will benefit each other and develop together, rather than blindly being powerful and condescending! It is precisely because of this that most friendly countries in the world are willing to establish diplomatic relations with us and develop their economies together!
This time China and Hong Kong established diplomatic relations, the Chinese side was full of sincerity and immediately sent three big gifts to Honduras:
First, the export of vannamei shrimp from Honduras to China was approved. The General Administration of Customs of China announced on the day of Castro's visit to China that nine Honduran aquaculture enterprises have obtained the qualification to register in China; This means that the door to trade between China and Honduran aquaculture products has officially opened;
Second, China has also issued quarantine requirements for bananas and coffee beans in Honduras, and allowed such products that meet the standards to enter the Chinese market;
Third, China signed a memorandum of understanding with Honduras on the Belt and Road Initiative, and since then Honduras has also become a member of the Belt and Road project.
It is believed that after receiving these three gifts from China, it will inject a lot of vitality into the economic development of Honduras, and Honduras' foreign trade will gradually open up the Chinese market, which is a good thing for both sides. Of course, for a small country like Honduras, where its development is constrained, the benefits are clearly greater.
After all, the resources that China can give to Honduras are very considerable. In addition to economic cooperation, after the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hong Kong, Honduras can also get Chinese help in infrastructure construction, which is also something they have been longing for. Therefore, Castro's visit to China can be said to be a full return, and it has also attracted a lot of attention from the outside world.
Since Tsai Ing-wen came to power in 2016, nine countries have severed "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities: Sao Tome and Principe (2016), Panama (2017), Dominica (2018), Burkina Faso (2018), El Salvador (2018), Solomon Islands (2019), Kiribati (2019), Nicaragua (2021), and Honduras (2023).
There are currently 13 so-called "countries with diplomatic relations" in Taiwan, namely: Paraguay, the Marshall Islands, Palau, Nauru, Tuvalu, Haiti, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Belize, Guatemala, Eswatini, and the Vatican.
The establishment of diplomatic relations between Honduras and China this time is believed to form a very good demonstration effect on other countries, and I heard that Paraguay is eager to try it, we will wait and see!