Honduras opens embassy in China after cutting ties to Taiwan
[1/3] Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang shake hands with Honduras Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina during the ceremony of establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries at Diaoyutai State Guesthouse March 26, 2023 in Beijing, China. Lintao Zhang/Pool via REUTERS/File Photo
BEIJING, June 11 (Reuters) - Honduras opened an embassy in China on Sunday, Chinese state media reported, after the Central American nation cut diplomatic relations with Taiwan earlier this year.
The embassy in Beijing was opened by foreign ministers from the two countries, state broadcaster CCTV reported.
Honduran President Xiomara Castro is in China for a state visit, during which she is to meet with her Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, state media have reported.
Tegucigalpa in March ended its decades-long relationship with Taipei and established diplomatic ties with Beijing.
China claims democratically ruled Taiwan as its own territory with no right to state-to-state relations, a position Taipei strongly rejects. China demands that countries with which it has ties recognise its position.
Taiwan now has formal diplomatic relations with only 13 countries, mostly poor and developing countries in Central America, the Caribbean and the Pacific.
Reporting by Ellen Zhang and Martin Quin Pollard; Editing by William Mallard
Our Standards: The Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.
Source: Reuters