BEIJING,March26(Xinhua)--HondurassignedonSundayajointcommuniqueonestablishingdiplomatictieswiththePeople"sRepublicofChina(PRC).Shortlybeforethat,thecountryannouncedthatitisseveringso-called"diplomaticties"withChina"sTaiwanregion.

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ThisbringsthetotalnumberofcountriesthathaveforgeddiplomaticrelationswiththePRCto182.ThepreviouscountrytorestoretieswithBeijingwasNicaraguainDecember2021.

Byrecognizingtheone-Chinaprinciple,HondurashasfollowedsomeotherCentralAmericancountriesinchoosingtostandontherightsideofhistory.

"ThegovernmentoftheRepublicofHondurasrecognizestheexistenceofonlyoneChinaintheworld,andthatthegovernmentofthePeople"sRepublicofChinaisthesolelegitimategovernmentrepresentingthewholeofChina.TaiwanisaninalienablepartofChineseterritory,"HonduranForeignMinisterEnriqueReinasaidinapressrelease.

Andonmultipleoccasions,HonduranPresidentXiomaraCastrohasvoicedherwillingnesstoestablishdiplomatictieswiththePRC.

CentralAmericameansalottopoliticiansinTaiwan.TheDemocraticProgressiveParty(DPP)authorityhasuseditsso-called"diplomaticties"withcertainregionalcountriesasabargainingchiptowootheUnitedStatesforpoliticalgains.Suchadeceptivegambitonceagainprovedinvain.

In2007,CostaRicabecamethefirstcountryintheregiontoforgediplomatictieswiththePRCthiscentury.Inthefollowingyears,otherregionalcountrieseitherestablishedorrestoreddiplomaticrelationswithBeijing,includingPanama,DominicanRepublic,ElSalvadorandNicaragua.

InmarkingthefifthanniversaryofestablishingdiplomaticrelationsbetweenChinaandPanamain2022,thenPanamanianForeignMinisterErikaMouynesnotedthatfactshaveproventhatestablishingdiplomatictiesbetweenthetwocountrieswastherightdecision.

Honduras"choiceofestablishingdiplomaticrelationswithChinaservesitspeople"sinterests.

Inthenewera,ChinaandLatinAmericanandCaribbeancountrieshavecontinuouslydeepenedmutuallybeneficialcooperationandbroughtsignificantbenefitstotheirpeople.

DatafromChina"sGeneralAdministrationofCustomsshowthatthetotaltradevolumebetweenChinaandLatinAmericaandtheCaribbeanreachedarecordhighof485.79billionU.S.dollarsin2022.

Sincetheresumptionofdiplomaticrelations,NicaraguahasjoinedtheBeltandRoadInitiative,andbothcountriesinitiatednegotiationsonacomprehensivefreetradeagreement.

ReportssaidthattheUnitedStateshasexertedpressureonHondurastopreventthecountryfromestablishingdiplomatictieswithChina.

However,factshaveproventhatnoforcecanstopthetrendofhistory.Sofar,182countrieshaveestablisheddiplomatictieswiththePRCbasedontheone-Chinaprinciple,demonstratingitsuniversalappeal.

Withtheestablishmentofdiplomaticties,ChinaandHonduraswillundoubtedlyusherinabrighterfutureforbilateralandregionalcooperation.