Taiwan vice president leaves to shore up shaky alliance with Honduras

By Ann Wang

TAOYUAN, Taiwan (Reuters) – Taiwan Vice President William Lai left on Tuesday to shore up a shaky relationship with Honduras and attend the swearing in of its new chief, an occasion U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris can be going to, doubtlessly giving the 2 an opportunity to fulfill.

China has ramped up strain to cut back Taiwan’s worldwide footprint, saying the democratically ruled island is Chinese language territory with no proper to state-to-state ties.

Honduras is certainly one of solely 14 nations to keep up formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Honduran President-elect Xiomara Castro has floated the thought of ditching Taipei for Beijing.

Talking at Taiwan’s principal worldwide airport in Taoyuan, Lai stated he would carry provides to assist Honduras fight the COVID-19 pandemic to reveal Taiwan’s willpower to assist Castro’s authorities from the get-go.

“As President Castro prepares to advertise new insurance policies, Taiwan will uphold the spirit of pragmatic diplomacy and mutual help, deepen cooperation with Honduras, and overcome varied difficulties to profit each nations’ peoples,” Lai stated.

Lai, who’s scheduled to fulfill Castro on Wednesday, added he would have “interactions and exchanges” with “leaders and deputy leaders” of allies and “pleasant nations”, although he didn’t instantly point out Harris.

The journey will present the world that Taipei is “a reliable buddy and that Taiwan has the flexibility to assist the worldwide neighborhood”, Lai stated.

Whereas Washington additionally has no official diplomatic relations with Taipei, it’s Taiwan’s most essential worldwide backer and arms provider, a frequent supply of tensions between Washington and Beijing.

Within the run-up to the November election, a visiting U.S. delegation to Honduras made clear it wished the nation to keep up https://www.reuters.com/world/us-has-urged-honduran-presidential-candidates-keep-ties-with-taiwan-official-2021-11-24 its Taiwan ties.

Lai, as is frequent when Taiwanese leaders go to Latin American allies, is stopping off in america on his strategy to and again from Honduras, to which China has as common expressed its opposition.

The USA has apprehensive about rising Chinese language affect in its yard.

China has been stepping up efforts to win over Taiwan’s remaining diplomatic allies, final month re-establishing ties with Nicaragua, and has brazenly stated it’s aiming to cut back the quantity to zero.

(Reporting by Ann Wang; Writing by Ben Blanchard)