As Taipei loses Honduras to China, Foreign Minister Joseph Wu said Friday that Taiwan would stay resilient and pragmatic and protect its friends.
On Tuesday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro stated the government would seek diplomatic ties with Beijing at the expense of Taiwan, which China claims as its territory.
On Wednesday, Castro’s foreign minister, Enrique Reina, claimed the turn to China was partial because Honduras was “up to its neck” in debt, including $600 million to Taiwan.
Wu said Taiwan would remain “agile, pragmatic, resilient and loving” at a reception attended by ambassadors from the handful of nations having diplomatic connections to Taiwan, except the Honduran envoy.
“As responsible members of the international community, we are always more than eager to share our expertise and experience with our allies and like-minded partners,” Wu added.
“Over the years we have worked along with our diplomatic friends to promote their national development initiatives in uplifting their people,” he continued.
“Despite the shadow of the huge bully in the neighborhood, Taiwan will not budge,” Wu stated, referring to China. “It will remain a global force for good.”
President Tsai Ing-wen sat at a table with ambassadors from allies, including Paraguay’s envoy, whose country is conducting elections next month that might terminate ties with Taiwan.
Tsai briefly thanked nations for supporting Taiwan worldwide. She avoided Honduras like Wu.
Honduras would leave Taiwan with only 13 diplomatic partners, largely tiny and emerging Latin American, Caribbean, and Pacific states.
Taiwan’s democratically elected government disputes China’s claim that it is a province with no right to state-to-state relations.
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