'Don't quench thirst with poison': Taiwan's warning to Honduras against taking aid from China

Taiwan on Thursday (March 16) warned Honduras against taking aid from China no matter how indebted it was. Honduras' decision to seek official relations with China and cut them with Taiwan has led to concerns in Taipei. China does not allow countries with which it has diplomatic relations to maintain official ties with Taiwan.

Speaking to reporters, Taiwan's foreign ministry spokesperson Jeff Liu said on Thursday, "Regarding the signs of alarm in the relationship between both countries (Taiwan and Honduras), the foreign ministry is still trying until now to maintain the friendship. This ministry and overseas embassies will keep doing their best."

Liu added that it was "absolutely untrue" that no efforts were made after receiving the news of Honduras' intentions to shift relations to China, adding that Taiwan would "absolutely not engage" in money competition with Beijing, the news agency Reuters reported.

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"At the same time, we remind the Honduran government that it should not quench its thirst with poison, even if fully parched by debt obligations, and end up falling into China's debt trap," the foreign ministry spokesperson added.

On Tuesday, Honduran President Xiomara Castro said that she asked her foreign minister to open official relations with China. If Honduras ended relations with Taiwan, the island would be left with only 13 diplomatic allies.

On Wednesday, Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina said the decision to switch relations with China was partly because Tegucigalpa was "up to its neck" in financial challenges and debt - including $600 million it owes Taiwan, Reuters reported.

Reina said his government asked Taiwan to double its annual aid to $100 million but never got an answer. However, Taipei denied this and said that comments from the Honduran foreign minister did not reflect the facts of their communications.

Apart from Taiwan, the United States has also warned Honduras about seeking official relations with China. On Wednesday, a US State Department spokesperson said, "The Honduran Government should be aware that the PRC (People's Republic of China) makes many promises that are unfulfilled. We will continue to monitor next steps closely."

(With inputs from agencies)

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