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Betting on Beijing: How a Diplomatic Switch Sank Honduras’s Shrimp Exports

In 2023, Honduras severed ties with Taiwan and recognized China, betting that access to one of the world’s largest markets would bring new prosperity. The move was hailed by President Xiomara Castro’s government as a strategic step toward bigger trade deals and deeper economic cooperation. 

Donald Trump’s China Contradiction in Latin America

New U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio is breaking with tradition to make Latin America the destination for his first overseas trip later this week. Previous Secretaries of State typically prioritized Europe and Asia for their initial visits. That's probably a ...

Honduran President Meets Chinese Official With Trade Deal on Horizon

Honduran President Xiomara Castro met Tuesday with China's Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hua Chunying, to strengthen bilateral relations and negotiate a new trade agreement, Castro's government said. Enrique Reina, the Honduran foreign minister, told reporters that Hua "visited the country ...

China Gives Honduras a $275 Million Present on the First Anniversary of Diplomatic Ties

China and Honduras marked the one-year anniversary of the Central American country switching its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China. Chinese Ambassador Yu Bo and Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina held a ceremony on Sunday at the Chinese embassy to commemorate the ...

U.S. Promotes Cross-Honduras Rail Project Previously Shopped to China

A $20 billion rail project that would connect Honduras' Pacific and Caribbean coasts is drawing interest from the United States. Scott Hansen, an economic counselor at the U.S. embassy in Tegucigalpa, reportedly presented the project to possible investors last week. The project ...

Analysis from Cobus van Staden

Revealing Reactions to China’s Festival of Optics

In terms of geopolitical optics, this week was nothing short of a banquet. It served up at least two sets of images that seem to crystallize our historical moment and that will live on in the Wikipedia of history as shorthand for where the world was in 2025.
One is the waves of uncannily synchronized soldiers and a bewildering array of high-tech weaponry gliding down Beijing’s Chang’an Avenue. The ...

Honduran President Leaves China With Deals and a Sense That Dumping Taiwan Was the Right Thing to Do

Honduran President Xiomara Castro heads home on Wednesday after what she described as a "historic" six-day trip to China that culminated with a meeting with President Xi Jinping. Xi complemented Castro for her "historic decisiveness" and "strong political will" for fulfilling her ...

China Formalizes Ties With Honduras, Bolstering Diplomatic Presence in the Americas

77 days after President Xiomara Castro announced Honduras would switch its diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China, the two countries made it official with the inauguration of a new embassy in Beijing. Sunday's plaque reveal ceremony in the Chinese capital followed less ...

Huawei is Now the Must-See Stop in China for Visiting Global South Leaders

Honduran President Xiomara Castro is the third leader from a developing country in just the past two months to include a stop at a Huawei research facility during their state visit to China. Castro visited the telecom giant's Shanghai research ...

WEEK IN REVIEW: Xiomara Castro, President of Honduras, to Travel to China for First Visit Since Switch of Diplomatic Relations From Taiwan

Xiomara Castro, the president of Honduras, will travel to Beijing this week for her first visit to China since her government switched diplomatic relations from Taiwan to the People’s Republic. Coffee trade is expected to be on the agenda and she will reportedly sign several (as-yet undefined) cooperation ...

China Opens New Embassy in Honduras as Part of a Flurry of Diplomatic Activity Between the Two Countries This Week

The Chargé d'Affaires for China's new embassy in Honduras, Yu Bo, unveiled the plaque that will be posted outside of the mission during a ceremony this week in Tegucigalpa. Monday's ceremony capped a frantic series of back-to-back announcements that included the ...

Hondura’s President Announces That’s She’ll be Traveling Soon to Beijing to Sign “Auspicious Agreements”

Honduran President Xiomara Castro looked visibly pleased with her decision to switch ties from Taiwan to China last week when she announced on Twitter that she'll soon be headed to Beijing to sign a raft of new agreements. The President did not ...

China’s Lending Money Again to Countries in the Americas

Chinese lending to countries in Latin America and the Caribbean is gaining momentum. For the second year in a row, China's two largest policy banks have increased lending to countries in the region, albeit in much smaller amounts than what they ...
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