March 26, 2023
Statement No. 1
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) of the Republic of China (Taiwan) solemnly issues the following statement: The governments of the Republic of Honduras and the People’s Republic of China are currently engaged in negotiations to establish diplomatic relations. As communication between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Republic of Honduras has not produced its desired outcome, the Republic of China (Taiwan), in order to uphold national sovereignty and dignity, has decided to terminate diplomatic relations with the Republic of Honduras with immediate effect, end all bilateral cooperative projects, and recall the staff of its embassy, consulate general in San Pedro Sula, technical mission, and electricity mission. It has also demanded that Honduras close its embassy in Taiwan.
Honduran President Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento and her administration have always harbored illusions concerning China. Before the presidential elections in 2021, she had raised the issue of switching diplomatic recognition. Through Taiwan’s efforts, Taiwan-Honduras relations remained stable during the initial period of her presidency. However, China never ceased its attempts to entice Honduras. MOFA and its embassy in Honduras remained abreast of related intelligence and responded appropriately. Meanwhile, the Castro administration demanded massive amounts of economic aid, totaling billions of US dollars, and weighed Taiwan’s assistance proposals against those submitted by China. Based on the long-standing friendship between the two countries, Taiwan proposed assistance programs with the greatest sincerity and to the best of its capabilities. But Honduras continued to make willful and peremptory demands, even publicly releasing incorrect information, causing harm to the government of Taiwan.
For years, the government of Taiwan has implemented cooperation programs in Honduras that benefit people’s livelihoods and promote comprehensive national development. These programs cover a broad spectrum of domains, including medicine and healthcare, education, vocational training, energy, basic infrastructure, economy and trade, and women’s empowerment. Whenever Honduras was struck by storms or flooding, Taiwan always promptly provided disaster relief and reconstruction assistance. Taiwan’s technical mission has conducted numerous agricultural, fishery, and healthcare programs in Honduras over the years. In addition, the government of Taiwan stationed an electricity mission in Honduras to provide related technical consultations and assistance. The government of Taiwan expresses great sadness and regret that the Castro administration has disregarded Taiwan’s long-standing assistance and friendship and engaged China in talks on establishing diplomatic relations.
MOFA reminds the international community that China frequently makes ostentatious commitments to lure Taiwan’s diplomatic allies into switching diplomatic recognition. However, once China achieves its diplomatic objectives, it often fails to uphold its pledges, leaving some beneficiary countries mired in debt. MOFA urges countries across the globe to recognize the true nature of China’s external aid, i.e., its actions do not align with its words.
MOFA also cautions the Beijing authorities that by repeatedly luring away Taiwan’s diplomatic allies through false promises and reducing Taiwan’s diplomatic space, they have seriously hurt the feelings of the people of Taiwan and have exacerbated the rift in cross-strait relations. MOFA emphasizes that the Republic of China (Taiwan) is a sovereign and independent country and that neither the Republic of China (Taiwan) nor the People’s Republic of China is subordinate to the other. These are the facts as well as the status quo. Taiwan will not submit to the pressure and coercion of the Chinese authoritarian government. Instead, it will uphold the values of freedom and democracy and actively collaborate with allies and like-minded countries to jointly maintain regional peace and stability and ensure Taiwan’s rightful international status. (E)