Castro also met with Lai separately on Wednesday, the day before the inauguration, telling Taiwanese media afterwards that she was “grateful” for the island’s support for Honduras and that she hoped to maintain their long-standing cooperation.
In her 2021 presidential campaign, Castro had promised to swiftly establish diplomatic and commercial ties with mainland China as president.
The shift in tone comes as Castro homes in on relations with the US, a key partner for Honduras on not only trade, but also regional issues like immigration. US Vice-President Kamala Harris also attended the inauguration.
Honduran business leaders had been urging Castro to prioritise relations with America. “Honduras must not risk its largest market, the US,” by establishing ties with Beijing over Taipei, a key business lobby said earlier this month.
Honduran exports to China totalled US$24.7 million in 2020, according to its central bank – less than 2% of its exports to the US.
Harris used her latest trip to Honduras to stress the importance of the country’s ties with Taiwan. The US is eager to curb China’s growing clout in Latin America, a region long considered part of Washington’s sphere of influence.
“I’d like to publicly … congratulate you on your election,” Harris told Castro during a Thursday meeting.
“We do appreciate the constructive role that Taiwan has played in advancing development in Honduras, as well as the rest of the region, and very much hope that they will continue to play that constructive role,” a senior US official also said Wednesday.
Taiwan itself has also stepped up efforts to woo Honduras.
The island’s economy ministry earlier this month scrapped tariffs on 25 imports from Honduras, including meat and dairy, in a last-minute demonstration to its incoming president of the benefits to siding with Taipei.
Only 14 countries, including Honduras, still have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, after Nicaragua switched to mainland China in December. Panama, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic have also cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan since 2017.
The US and Taiwan hope that recent developments in Honduras could help turn the tide for Taipei in Latin America.