Honduras President Castro to visit China after cutting Taiwan ties
FILE PHOTO: Honduras’ President Xiomara Castro addresses the crowd at a military ceremony for the 197th anniversary of the Armed Forces, after mobilizing thousands of police officers to areas controlled by criminal groups, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras December 9, 2022. REUTERS/Fredy Rodriguez
TEGUCIGALPA — Honduran President Xiomara Castro will travel to China “soon,” the Honduran foreign ministry said on Twitter on Wednesday, without providing a date for the trip.
The announcement came days after China established diplomatic ties with Honduras as the Central American country ended its decades-long relationship with Taiwan.
Honduras’ foreign minister traveled to China last week, days after Castro tweeted her government would seek to open relations with Beijing, which officially established ties with Honduras on Sunday.
The diplomatic shift has refocused attention on China’s growing footprint in Latin America.
Taiwan, left with diplomatic relations with only 13 countries, accused Honduras of demanding exorbitant sums before severing ties.
