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By Huang Ching-hsuan / Staff reporter
The US and other countries are continuing to assist Taiwan in restoring diplomatic relations with Honduras, whose new government has not yet appointed an ambassador to China, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said today.
The remarks were made during a meeting of the legislature’s Foreign Affairs and National Defense Committee in Taipei, where Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺) and Ministry of Economic Affairs officials were invited to present a report on the impact of the US-Iran war on the Asia-Pacific strategy and economic security.
During the session, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) Legislator Hsu Chiao-hsin (徐巧芯) asked about the progress of restoring diplomatic ties with Honduras.
Photo: AFP
Honduran President Nasry Asfura, who assumed office nearly three months ago, had promised to restore ties with Taiwan during his election campaign.
Asked by Hsu whether Taiwan “would be deceived” on the matter, Chen said that the chances of that happening are “not high,” as restoring ties was one of Asfura’s campaign promises.
Taiwan and Honduras have been continually communicating, while the US and “many other countries” are also assisting in the restoration of ties, Chen said, adding that Taiwan maintains good communication with Washington.
According to information obtained by the ministry, the new Honduran government is proceeding cautiously, as it does not fully understand how many agreements the previous administration signed with China and is worried about “landmines” left behind, Chen said.
Honduras hopes Taiwan would be patient, he said, adding that Taiwan would continue to interact with Honduras in an open and honest manner.
Regarding the current status of interactions between Honduras and China, Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Director-General Jose Han (韓志正) said that the former Honduran ambassador to China resigned on Jan. 26 along with the previous government.
Tegucigalpa has not yet appointed a new ambassador to Beijing, Han added.
