Honduras keeps Taiwan ties but pivots on Venezuela

TEGUCIGALPA (AFP) - The government of new Honduras President Xiomara Castro said on Thursday (Feb 3) it would maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan but that it has already resumed contact with Venezuela's socialist leader Nicolas Maduro.

During her campaign, leftist Ms Castro had vowed to "immediately open diplomatic and commercial relations with mainland China" if she won.

But Taiwan Vice-President William Lai attended Castro's inauguration in Tegucigalpa last week.

China considers democratic, self-ruled Taiwan a part of its territory, to be retaken by force if necessary, and has spent decades encouraging the island's allies to switch sides, with much success.

Castro's right-wing predecessor Juan Orlando Hernandez had broken off diplomatic relations with populist socialist Maduro and instead recognised opposition leader Juan Guaido, whose claim to be Venezuela's acting president is supported by almost 60 nations.

But Ms Castro has pivoted back.

"Diplomatic relations with the Bolivarian government of Venezuela have been resumed," Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina said.

"And in the case of Taiwan we are maintaining a fluid relationship," he added.

Relations with the Maduro regime - widely criticised for human rights abuses and authoritarianism - were restarted on the day of Ms Castro's inauguration, Jan 27, Mr Reina said, and Venezuela's new ambassador to Honduras "will soon enter the country".

A Maduro representative, deputy Foreign Minister Rander Pena, recovered control of the embassy in Tegucigalpa hours after Castro was sworn in.

It had been run by Guaido allies since 2019.

Ms Castro's husband Manuel Zelaya was overthrown as president of Honduras in a 2009 coup led by the military, the political right and business leaders after he sought to strengthen ties with Mr Maduro's predecessor, socialist strongman Hugo Chavez.

Ms Castro's opponents used that to try to paint her as a communist during the election campaign.