The people of Honduras have welcomed the establishment of diplomatic relations with China, saying the ties will boost their economy and bring common prosperity.

China and Honduras signed a joint communique in Beijing on Sunday on the establishment of diplomatic relations. Honduras has thus become the 182nd country to have diplomatic relations with China. 

In street interviews with China Media Group (CMG), a resident of Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras, said he supports the one-China principle and that establishing ties with China is "very good" for Honduras. Another local said he hopes the bilateral relationship can develop smoothly.

A Honduran nurse said the ties are good for the country's professionals and will "bring more job opportunities." A university student told CMG that after the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries will have more economic connections and Honduras can develop more industries and achieve greater development.

At the signing ceremony, Chinese Foreign Minister Qin Gang said that China will fully support Honduras' economic and social development and improvement of its people's living standards. China is willing to expand imports of Honduran specialty products, encourage Chinese companies to invest in the country, participate in large-scale infrastructure construction, and prioritize the implementation of projects benefiting people's livelihoods, he added.

Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Reina said Honduras is willing to strengthen cooperation with China in sectors including finance, trade, infrastructure, science and technology, and culture and tourism, maintaining closer communication and coordination under multilateral frameworks.

Both the foreign ministers agreed that a new era of bilateral relations that would greatly benefit the two peoples has started.

As the largest developing country, China combines its peaceful development with the interests of the international community, and plays a vital role in maintaining world peace and stability and promoting the progress of humankind. This is what Honduras and other countries value in establishing or resuming diplomatic relations with China, said Yuan Dongzhen, deputy director of the Institute of Latin American Studies at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences.

Noting that the establishment of diplomatic relations is a new beginning, Yuan said it's hoped that the two countries will form a batch of tangible achievements as soon as possible and bring more benefits to the two peoples.

Song Junying, head of the Department for Latin American and Caribbean Studies at the China Institute of International Studies, said the establishment of diplomatic ties between China and Honduras has cleared political obstacles for practical cooperation between the two sides. He added that the two countries have broad space for cooperation and it's predictable that the two countries will take the opportunity to carry out cooperation in various fields and provide more opportunities for each other's economic and social development in the post-COVID-19 era.

(Cover: A birds-eye view of Tegucigalpa, the capital city of Honduras. /CFP )