Honduras’ outgoing President Juan Orlando Hernandez’s visit to Taiwan is a sign of support from the Central American country for Taiwan at a time of rising geographic tensions, said Hernandez on Saturday.
While meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen (???) on the second day of his three-day visit to Taiwan, Hernandez said Honduras and Taiwan were true friends and that his visit was a clear and firm message that Honduras wants to stand by Taiwan, which is facing a growing military threat from China.
Hernandez visited Taiwan as Honduras’ president in 2015 and 2016 after having previously visited as the speaker of the Central American country’s parliament in 2010.
In response, Tsai said the Honduras president’s visit was the first trip made by any of Taiwan’s allies from Latin America since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, and as it marked the 80th anniversary of diplomatic ties between the two countries, it was very meaningful.
The visit came only months before Hernandez’s second presidential term ends and before a potential shift in his country’s ties with Taiwan to China as one of the leading candidates in the presidential election to be held on Nov. 28 has vowed to switch recognition to China.
Xiomara Castro, the presidential candidate of the left-wing opposition Liberty and Refoundation Party, vowed to open diplomatic relations with China if elected, according to a Reuters report in September.
Honduras did not voice support for Taiwan’s international participation in the latest United Nations General Assembly held in September, while most of Taiwan’s other allies did do so. It was the sixth consecutive year the Central American country has refrained from doing so.
Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has repeatedly said that Taiwan is closely watching the situation in the Central American country. The visiting president said he sincerely hoped his country and Taiwan would forge closer ties in economics, trade, education, and technology development.
“Through Honduras, Taiwan will be able to enter the Latin American market,” Hernandez said. “Through Taiwan, Honduras will be able to gain access to the Asia market.”
Hernandez said Honduras is intensifying efforts in infrastructure development, aiming to transform the country as a logistics hub in the world.
Among these efforts, the Central American country has expanded the port of Puerto Cortes, which is able to deliver cargo from the Pacific to the Atlantic in seven hours, according to Hernandez, who urged Taiwanese firms to invest in his country.
Echoing Hernandez, Tsai said Taiwan and Honduras have already had close exchanges, referring to a Taiwan agriculture technology team’s efforts to grow avocado pears and build a comprehensive production, marketing and procurement chain in the Central American country.
In addition to the agricultural technology exchanges, Tsai said bilateral trade between Taiwan and Honduras has been on the rise, adding Honduras has been the major supplier of whiteleg shrimps to Taiwan.
Tsai said several agricultural items from Honduras have become popular among Taiwanese consumers, and she personally favored Honduran coffee.
“I expect Taiwan and Honduras will continue to support each other and make progress in future developments,” Tsai said.
She expressed hope that the upcoming presidential election would proceed smoothly.
China’s strategy of isolating Taiwan diplomatically has left Taipei with only 15 formal allies, after several countries chose to switch recognition to Beijing in recent years.
Taiwan’s government has warned that China will do everything possible to poach diplomatic allies from Taiwan and said that Beijing’s promises to win them over are often “colossal but empty.”
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel