Tsai Ing-wen, the president of Taiwan, is welcomed by Honduran presidential nominee Ricardo Alvarez (R) after her arrival at Palmerola Air Base in Honduras in January 2017. File Photo by Gustavo Amador/EPA
March 25 (UPI) — The Central American nation of Honduras announced Saturday that it has ended diplomatic relations with Taiwan, stating that it recognizes “one China.”
The Honduras Foreign Ministry announced in a statement that the decision was made to sever diplomatic ties to Taiwan after a “break of the diplomatic relations between the two.”
“The Government of the Republic of Honduras recognizes the existence of only one China in the world, and that the government of the People’s Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China,” the statement reads.
“Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory and as of this date, the Honduran Government has communicated to Taiwan the rupture of diplomatic relations, pledging not to have any official relationship or contact with Taiwan again.”
Mainland China and the island of Taiwan, among other islands, were ruled by the Republic of China before the ROC lost the Chinese Civil War in the early 20th century to the Chinese Communist Party, which established the new government of the People’s Republic of China in October 1949.
The ROC in turn established a temporary capital in Taipei on the island of Taiwan, a former Japanese territory, in December 1949 and served as the seat for China at the United Nations until it was replaced by the People’s Republic of China in 1971 as foreign countries switched their diplomatic relations.
China views Taiwan and its 23 million residents as a wayward province and has vowed to retake it by force, if necessary. Many supporters of Taiwan have since argued that it is an independent sovereign state separate from mainland China, which has never controlled Taiwan.
Honduras was one of only 14 nations that recognized Taiwan.
“With deep regret, we announce the termination of diplomatic relations with Honduras,” Taiwan’s Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“Eighty-two years of friendship and cooperation bringing real benefit to the peoples were dismissed by the Castro government. Taiwan remains unbowed and continues to work as a force for good in the world.”