Taiwan said Honduras asked for "billions of dollars" to maintain ties as Tegucigalpa formally announceda diplomatic shift toXi Jinping's Chinaon Sunday.
What Happened:Taiwan Foreign MinisterJoseph Wusaid presidentXiomara Castro who took office early last year and her government had always had illusions about Beijing andChinas luring had never stopped.
The foreign ministry and embassy grasped the relevant information and handled it carefully. However, the Castro government also asked us for billions of dollars in huge economic assistance and compared prices for assistance programs provided by Taiwan and China, Wu said, according to Reuters.
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This came after former long-time Taiwan ally, Honduras, cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan. "The government of the Republic of Honduras recognizes theexistence of only one Chinain the world and that the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government that represents all of China," Honduras said in a statement.
"Taiwan is an inalienable part of Chinese territory"
Wu told the media that Honduran foreign minister Eduardo Enrique Reina wrote to Taiwan this month asking for almost $2.5 billion in aid, including a loan of $2 billion to help write off the debt as well as funds for the construction of a hospital and a dam. The letter addressed Wu as a friend, the publication added, who has seen a copy of the letter.
It felt like what they wanted was money, not a hospital, Wu said.
Honduras is the ninthally that Taiwan has lost to Chinasince theTsai Ing Wengovernment first took office.
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