A Chinese delegation began a visit to Honduras on Tuesday (April 11th), less than three weeks after the opening of diplomatic relations between the two countries, the Honduran Foreign Ministry announced.
The objective of this visit is
"to move forward in the bilateral relationship, particularly on trade, agri-food, investment and export issues for Honduran products and Chinese investors
," the ministry said in a statement.
The Chinese delegation held a meeting with a committee comprising Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina as well as Economic Development Minister Pedro Barquero and Agriculture Minister Laura Suazo.
Leftist President Xiomara Castro announced on March 26 the opening of official relations with Beijing and the concomitant break with Taiwan.
Ten days before, Enrique Reina had invoked
"the enormous needs"
of Honduras and the refusal of Taiwan to increase its aid to justify the establishment of relations with Beijing.
The Taiwanese government had retorted that Taipei
"will
(it)
never compete with China for cash diplomacy"
, while advising Honduras to
"not fall into the trap of Chinese debt"
.
Cooperation and trade agreements
From now on, only Guatemala and Belize continue in Central America to have official relations with Taiwan.
Enrique Reina indicated that Tegucigalpa and Beijing wanted to draw up draft cooperation and trade agreements, in priority with regard to the export of shrimps, lobsters, melons, coffee and sea cucumbers, a marine animal adorned with virtues by traditional Chinese medicine.
The National Association of Aquaculturists of Honduras fears for its part that Taiwan will now refuse to buy shrimp from farms in Honduras, which represent around 150,000 direct and indirect jobs and which until now sold around 40% of their production to the nationalist island.
The Chinese are paying half the price paid by Taiwanese buyers for shrimp from Honduras, producers told AFP recently.