Beijing establishes diplomatic ties with Honduras

WORLD, March 26 (YPA) – China established diplomatic ties with Honduras on Sunday, a victory for Beijing as it distanced a new ally from Taiwan, which is no longer recognized by only 13 countries around the world.

Foreign ministers from China and Honduras signed a joint communique in Beijing — a decision the Chinese Foreign Ministry hailed as “the right choice.”

The new ties come amid rising tensions between Beijing and the United States, including over China’s increasing assertiveness toward self-ruled Taiwan, and signal growing Chinese influence in Latin America.

The new China-Honduras relationship was announced after the Honduran and Taiwanese governments made separate announcements that they were severing ties.

According to the statement, the governments of the two countries agreed to “develop friendly relations on the basis of the principles of mutual respect for sovereignty, territorial integrity, non-mutual aggression, non-interference in each other’s internal affairs, equality, mutual benefit and peaceful coexistence.”

The Government of Honduras also recognized “only one China in the world” and that Beijing “is the only legitimate government that represents all of China.”

E.M