A state visit to China by Honduran President Xiomara Castro, coming less than three months after the formal establishment of diplomatic ties between the two nations, could significantly impact their future relationship.
Experts suggest this visit is likely to foster high-level contacts and open avenues for Honduras to become more involved in international affairs with China’s support.
This swift scheduling of talks in Beijing underlines the mutual interest of both countries in building a cooperative relationship.
As mentioned by Yu Bo, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Chinese Embassy in Honduras, during the embassy’s inauguration in Tegucigalpa, the two nations have swiftly established ties and are already collaborating successfully in fields such as trade, agriculture, technology, culture, education, and media.
Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin stressed that both China and Honduras have been committed to their obligations since the diplomatic relations began, giving the bilateral relationship a strong kick-start.
In anticipation of the visit, Honduran President Castro hinted at the need for new political, scientific-technical, commercial, and cultural horizons.
Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reyna also shared plans to sign a range of memorandums and framework agreements during Castro’s visit.
According to Fan Hesheng, director of the Institute of Latin America at Anhui University, the Beijing talks might result in trade development.
As he states, “President Castro’s visit to China will contribute to deepening trade exchanges with this country.”
However, given Honduras’ relatively small contribution to Chinese foreign trade and its limited competitive products, careful discussions and planning, including inter-agency coordination, are required to develop mutually beneficial trade, Hesheng advises.
Alexandr Harlamenko, a leading researcher at the Institute for Latin American Studies, believes that Honduras is seeking support from China that neither the U.S. nor Taiwan can offer.
He perceives the visit as an attempt by Latin American leaders to strengthen their independence and draw closer to China for economic backing.
Castro’s visit to Beijing is expected to strengthen the political rapport between the two countries and help Honduras diversify its diplomatic relations, according to Fan Hesheng.
The talks in Beijing could lay the groundwork for future areas of cooperation, fostering mutual political trust, and helping establish a shared direction for bilateral relations.
The visit might lead to negotiations for a free trade agreement between China and Honduras, paving the way for the Central American country to export shrimp, bananas, melons, cigarettes, beef, and other products to China under preferential terms.
This would boost Honduras’s economy and make the bilateral cooperation more enduring.
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