After Taiwan‘s longtime ally Honduras decided to switch diplomatic camps to Xi Jinping, Washington warned that China makes many unfulfilled promises.
What Happened: Honduras, on Tuesday, decided to cut ties with the island nation and further isolate Taipei on the world stage.
In a tweet, the Central American nation’s president Xiomara Castro announced that she had asked her foreign minister to establish official relations with China.
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Following the announcement, a State Department spokesperson said, "The Honduran Government should be aware that the PRC (People’s Republic of China) makes many promises that are unfulfilled," reported Aljazeera.
“We will continue to monitor next steps closely.”
Honduras has argued that the diplomatic switch was motivated by economic interests rather than ideology. Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina told Canal 5 television channel that the country was riddled with rising debt and needed more investments.
The minister said it had asked Taiwan to double the $50 million in assistance it receives each year and consider "realigning" the country's $600 million debt to the island. However, it did not receive a positive response from Taipei.
Meanwhile, in response, the Taiwanese Foreign Ministry said Taipei had "actively and continuously" negotiated bilateral cooperation plans with Honduras since Castro became the president.
Taiwan "expressed to Honduras many times that our country is willing, within its capabilities, to assist Honduras to promote construction and development, and at the same time, we repeatedly reminded Honduras to pay attention to China's false promises," it said.
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