Honduran embassy in Beijing ushers in new era of ties

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang (left) and visiting Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina attend a ceremony to inaugurate the embassy of the Republic of Honduras in Beijing on Sunday. (FENG YONGBIN/CHINA DAILY)

State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang and Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina jointly unveiled a plaque to formally inaugurate the Central American country's embassy in Beijing on Sunday morning.

The ceremony marked major progress in the exchange of diplomats following the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two sides. China officially inaugurated its embassy in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras, on June 5.

China and Honduras have delivered a strong start to their diplomatic relations and are confident of making their ties a role model of friendly collaboration based on mutual respect and a win-win approach, officials and experts said.

On March 26, Honduras became the 182nd nation to establish diplomatic relations with China.

"Two months ago, China and Honduras officially built their diplomatic relations based on the one-China principle, fulfilled the long-lasting wish of their peoples and ushered in the new era of China-Honduras ties," Qin said at the event.

Over the past two months, the two sides have been faithfully fulfilling the pledges made during the establishment of their diplomatic relations, ensuring a robust start to bilateral ties, Qin added.

The Honduran foreign minister voiced his hope that their bilateral ties will grow day by day. Reina said his country stands ready to push forward the collaboration between the two governments and their cooperation in various fields, including exporting the country's signature products to China.

Honduras is ready to work for the early start of negotiations on a bilateral free trade agreement, and it looks forward to more joint efforts between the two countries in implementing a range of bilateral or multilateral initiatives such as the Belt and Road Initiative and the Global Development Initiative, Reina said.

The embassy opening ceremony in Beijing was held amid the ongoing state visit by Honduran President Iris Xiomara Castro Sarmiento.

At the invitation of President Xi Jinping, Castro is on a state visit to China from Friday through Wednesday. She arrived in Shanghai, the first leg of her trip, on Friday morning and then reached Beijing on Saturday evening.

State Councilor Qin said the historic meeting between Xi and the Honduran leader will surely take their bilateral ties to greater heights with new developments.

Xu Shicheng, a senior researcher on Latin America studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said the Honduran government looks to reinforce its ties with China to help improve domestic livelihoods, which is why the Honduran president is making a state visit shortly after the establishment of diplomatic relations.

Castro's visit will open a new chapter in bilateral relations and give fresh impetus to China-Latin America cooperation, Xu said.

"Given the examples set by countries such as Honduras in establishing diplomatic relations with China, as well as the expanding economic and trade relations between China and Latin America, more countries in that region may consider subscribing to the one-China principle and establishing diplomatic ties with China. This is a major trend in the long run," he said.