On March 26, Honduras and China announced the establishment of diplomatic relations, hours after the Central American country officially broke ties with Taiwan, which had been maintained since 1941.
The Honduran government signed an agreement with China on Tuesday to construct seven agricultural schools in the Central American nation, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The exchange of notes was signed in Tegucigalpa by Honduras’ Foreign Minister, Eduardo Enrique Reina, and the Chinese Ambassador to Honduras, Yu Bo, as stated in an official communiqué from the Honduran Foreign Ministry.
“These schools are a priority for President Xiomara Castro, as well as reactivating the agricultural sector,” emphasized Reina.
The Foreign Minister also highlighted the Castro administration’s commitment to strengthening the development of the educational and agricultural sectors, alongside fostering a “broad friendship and mutual respect” between Honduras and China.
The project involves the construction of seven schools across the departments of Comayagua (central region), El Paraíso (eastern region), Atlántida (Caribbean region), Gracias a Dios (eastern region), Valle (southern region), Cortés (northern region), and Santa Bárbara (western region). These schools aim to equip young people with advanced technical skills in the agricultural sector.
“This achievement is the result of the close relationship between both parties, marking the project’s initial phase and its forthcoming implementation,” stated the Chinese ambassador. He expressed gratitude to the Honduran Foreign Ministry for its “valuable support” to China following the establishment of bilateral relations in March 2023.
Honduran Minister of Education, Daniel Sponda, described the construction of the agricultural schools as “a true beacon of hope” for Honduras’ agricultural sector and shared the aspiration of exporting agricultural products to China in the future.
Honduras and China formalized their diplomatic relations on March 26, 2023, hours after Honduras ended its decades-long diplomatic recognition of Taiwan.
In August, the two nations signed an agreement for a feasibility study on the construction and equipping of 375 educational centers, as part of an official visit to Honduras by China’s Vice Foreign Minister, Hua Chunying.
China is also supporting the Comprehensive Infrastructure and Equipment Intervention Project for Educational Centers in Honduras, an initiative spearheaded by President Castro. This project is funded through non-reimbursable technical cooperation agreed upon with Chinese President Xi Jinping during her visit to China in June 2023.
For more information or inquiries, please contact us at info@central-law.com
Source: Forbes Centroamérica
