TAIPEI, Dec 3 (Reuters) – Taiwan is looking forward to re-establishing ties with former ally Honduras and has been in touch with both of the presidential candidates who are friendly towards Taipei, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung said on Wednesday.
Salvador Nasralla, who on Tuesday took a razor-thin lead in Honduras’ presidential election, and his closest rival Nasry Asfura have said they may resume diplomatic relations with Taiwan if elected. Ties with Taipei were severed by the government of outgoing President Xiomara Castro in 2023.
Speaking to reporters at parliament in Taipei, Lin said that with the vote counting still underway, the government was closely monitoring the situation.
“As for the two presidential candidates who are friendly towards Taiwan, we have maintained good interactions with both of them. We also look forward to Taiwan and Honduras being able, after this election, to establish diplomatic relations based on equality and mutual benefit,” he added.
Asked whether this meant ties could be restored, he said: “We have an open attitude, and we will actively engage with the president-elect to discuss the future of our bilateral diplomatic relations. We have continued to maintain channels of communication with all camps.”
Such a move would represent the biggest diplomatic setback for China in the region since 1990, when the Nicaraguan government of Violeta Chamorro re-established its own relations with Taipei.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Lin Jian said in Beijing that relations with Honduras have delivered “tangible benefits to the Honduran people.”
“Taiwan independence separatist activities run counter to the historical trend and are destined to be a dead end,” he added.
China says Taiwan is one of its provinces with no right to state-to-state ties, a position the government in Taipei strongly rejects. Only 12 countries now maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The election is being watched in Washington, too. U.S. President Donald Trump, who has backed Asfura, said on Monday night that it appeared Honduras was “trying to change the results of their Presidential Election”.
(Reporting by Ben Blanchard; Additional reporting by Joe Cash in Beijing; Editing by Lincoln Feast and Thomas Derpinghaus.)
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