00:00Nazri Azfuda declared the winner of Honduras' presidential election and now less than two
00:08weeks away from taking office, a change being closely watched here in Taiwan.
00:14Honduras' outgoing government cut ties with Taiwan in 2023 to establish relations with China.
00:21But on the campaign trail, Azfuda pledged to move the country away from China,
00:26saying it had been 100 times better off with Taiwan.
00:30Experts say there's a sense of disappointment in Honduras with how closer ties with China has
00:35affected the country's economy, including the collapse of its shrimp industry, which had
00:39previously relied on Taiwan's market. Following Azfuda's win, local media is reporting that the
00:46new government is still seriously considering resuming ties. And the vice president-elect also
00:52said in early January that the new government would fulfill all of its campaign promises,
00:56including restoring diplomatic ties with Taiwan. But Azfuda himself has appeared to take a softer
01:03tone, at least publicly. In a recent interview with Bloomberg, he did not explicitly say he intended
01:09to re-establish ties with Taiwan, only saying that he would evaluate resuming relations, adding that he
01:16didn't have a public message for China yet.
01:19His discourse has become a little bit more pragmatic.
01:23While he has not abandoned his pro-Taiwan position, he is now situating it within what he calls a triangle
01:29of cooperation involving Taiwan, the United States and Israel. This shift is likely because of the realities
01:37of governing, particularly the need to balance campaign promises with institutional constraints
01:43and international pressures.
01:45This tone, some analysts say, is likely strategic, aimed at managing expectations, but doesn't mean
01:53Azfuda won't make the move. But these are changes that also might not happen right away, because
01:58Azfuda's party doesn't have a majority in the legislature.
02:01While the president has the authority to recognize Taiwan diplomatically, all international treaties and
02:09formal agreements must be ratified by Congress. This means that Azfuda will face significant
02:14challenges in areas such as re-establishing a free trade agreement with Taiwan, negotiating existing
02:20loans with Taipei, and also formalizing agreements related to embassy property and diplomatic immunity.
02:27The Wall Street Journal also reported that Taiwan President Lai Qingde has indicated that he wants
02:33to attend Azfuda's inauguration in late January. And an expert said it's certainly possible he might be
02:39invited, as Honduras tries to please the U.S., which seeks to prevent China from gaining a foothold in
02:46Latin America. But Taiwan's presidential office says reports are purely speculative, and that if any
02:53trip is confirmed, they would let the public know. So, in the lead-up to Azfuda's inauguration,
02:59many are still waiting to see what the future of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Honduras
03:05will look like. Luffy Lee and Cadence Quaranta for Taiwan Plus.
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