One year of China, Honduras diplomatic ties: Tangible results, promising future

An event celebrating the first anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras was held at the Chinese embassy in Honduras on Sunday.

Over 400 people, including key officials from both sides, attended the event, celebrating the advancement in bilateral ties over the past year and expressing their prospects for the China-Honudras relationship in the years ahead.

'Still in honeymoon'

China and Honduras signed a joint communique, formally establishing their diplomatic relations, one year ago and there are already tangible results in various fields.

"We are moving forward on a path that leads to great political confidence and increased cooperation for mutual benefits," Chinese ambassador to Honduras Yu Bo told CGTN.

He highlighted the increase of 21 percent total trade volume between the two countries in 2023, reaching $1.91 billion. In particular, Honduras' exports to China have almost tripled. 

In June 2023, China's General Administration of Customs allowed imports of multiple Honduran products, including fresh bananas, coffee beans and aquatic products, which lifted Honduras' exports to China to $81.17 million that year.

"Chinese can be deep partners in the development of Honduras... In a year, we have made much progress," Honduran Minister of Economic Development Fredis Cerrato, said in an exclusive interview with CGTN.

"We are still in the honeymoon phase," he added.

Keep growing on all fronts

A series of documents were signed during Sunday's celebration event. One is a cooperation agreement that will allocate $275 million of Chinese funding to help build schools across Honduras.

Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina, who was at the event, told CGTN that cooperation was also advancing in fields including investment, technology, infrastructure, and media.

A few days earlier, a new round of negotiations on the China-Honduras Free Trade Agreement (FTA) was held in Beijing，China's capital.

Since July 2023, China and Honduras have carried out four rounds of FTA negotiations, and the one held last month were completed in time for an early harvest arrangement.

In the latest discussions, the two countries have conducted comprehensive and in-depth consultations on fields such as trade in goods, trade in services, investment and rules, and have made positive progress, according to the Chinese Ministry of Commerce.

In another interview with China Media Group, Reina said he believes that the relations between China and Honduras will continue to grow, in culture, economy, and many other fields. 

"We will also support each other in multilateral cooperative development initiatives," said Reina.

(Cover: An event celebrating the first anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Honduras is held in the Chinese Embassy in Honduras in Tegucigalpa, Honduras, March 24, 2024. /Chinese Embassy in Honduras)