On March 14, the President of Honduras, Xiomara Castro, announced her plan to form an official diplomatic relationship with Beijing.

As someone who had lived in Taiwan, I was saddened by the news, but the announcement was not a surprise. Unfortunately, the break-up was inevitable, as Castro had shown interest in switching to Beijing before her presidential campaign.

The history that led to this decision is also the story of the rise of far-left ideologies in Honduras. In 2009, president Manuel Zelaya was removed from office using military force.

His plan to change the constitution and allow for a second term was heavily objected to by both the political opposition and his own party. With his commitment to stand alongside the ALBA union*, which includes socialist countries like Cuba and Venezuela, people imagined that Zelaya was planning on implementing a form of government in Honduras that follows the road map made by ALBA.

Most of the countries in the alliance did not have democratically elected leaders or leaders whose rule had outlasted their designated term. The coup d'etat was met with both heavy opposition and strong support.

What was clear to Manuel Zelaya was that he could not rely on his former centrist party. He founded a new party, which was more open about its leftist ideologies. He could no longer run as president due to his last time in office and instead, his wife, Xiomara Castro, would run for president.

Twelve years later, she was elected to office. Although a lot of people had concerns due to the past and during the voting process, the other two parties were just as controversial, if not more so.

Coup d'etat

At this point, people were desperate for something new, especially since the last two parties had been full of corruption scandals and accusations of drug trafficking. There were also a lot of young new voters who do not remember the past.

Despite the hope for a new beginning, her government was similar to the previous ones. Nepotism is still rampant. Laws have been planted to help officials get away with corruption. Crime has also gone up.

Mel Zelaya was seen in control again, despite not being an elected official. A lot of people now consider him the leader, instead of his wife. Soon enough, the inevitable occurred.

The government started to align itself with tyrannical leftist governments. Elected leaders were taking interviews with Moscow-owned propaganda machine Russia Today. Honduras started to get into conflict with the United States, despite it being its closest ally for most of its history. With all of this in consideration, the next logical step was for Honduras to break ties with Taiwan.

The process of breaking diplomatic ties with Taiwan shows what the government stands for. Although the government indeed asked for US$2.5 billion from Taiwan in exchange for loyalty, I believe that no amount of money could have prevented this from occurring.

Being allies with democratic Taiwan contradicts the vision that Zelaya and Castro have. Once Honduras had gotten into contact with Beijing, the Taiwanese diplomats were given 30 days to leave the country. They were kicked out as if they were criminals.

Despite all of this, the effects of Taiwan’s generosity are still being felt to this day. The amount of technology and development that Taiwan has donated is countless.

These donations were made to help some of the most vulnerable rural villages in Honduras. Medical equipment and ambulances were also donated.

'Winnie the Pooh'

Unlike Beijing, which is known for donating big statements like stadiums, only to never consider helping the country again, Taiwan cared for the people of Honduras.

I have seen my Taiwanese friends pretend that their money had gone to waste. In reality, I believe that Taiwan showed that it is a force of good by helping thousands of people.

Just because the government did not appreciate the contributions, it does not mean the people think the same. China’s arrival in Honduras has been met with heavy opposition.

Aside from loyal supporters of Castro and her government, most people are critical of the decision. If you look at any of her posts concerning China, the comments will include discontent with the government, anti-Beijing articles, and images of Winnie the Pooh to mock Xi Jinping (習近平).

Finally, this might not be the last time Taiwan and Honduras see each other as friends. The National party of Honduras has promised that in its next term, it will do everything in its power to once again formally recognize. Taiwan.

Although there is doubt in my mind about whether they will follow through with the promises, at the end of the day, I am more concerned to see if there will be another term. The Honduran government has no respect for democracy anymore.

* The 10 ALBA countries are Antigua and Barbuda, Bolivia, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Nicaragua, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and Venezuela. Suriname was admitted to ALBA as a guest country at a February 2012 summit.