TEGUCIGALPA, June 9 (Xinhua) — Honduran President Xiomara Castro’s visit to China will lift bilateral relations to a higher level and lead to greater cooperation between the two countries, said Honduran Foreign Minister, Enrique Reina.
Castro arrived in Shanghai on Friday, beginning a visit to China that will continue until June 14, at the invitation of Chinese President Xi Jinping.
The meeting between the two leaders will yield fruitful results and provide new development opportunities for the two peoples, Reina said in an interview with Xinhua ahead of the visit.
Since the establishment of diplomatic relations on March 26, Honduras and China have made significant progress in a series of economic and trade cooperations, the minister recalled. These relations “have only just begun and we are already seeing friendship and solidarity”, he noted.
About the opening last Monday of the Chinese Embassy in Tégucigalpa, Enrique Reina said that this was “very good news”.
According to him, this opening, as well as that of the Embassy of Honduras in Beijing, will guarantee a solid development of bilateral relations and help the two countries to strengthen their cooperation and better serve their peoples.
He said he views the promotion of multilateralism in the international community, which China stands for, as a common principle to which the two countries adhere. “Cooperation between the two sides will give strong impetus to the development of multilateralism on the international diplomatic scene,” Reina said.
The Honduran foreign minister said the widening of China’s “circle of friends” in Latin America reflects a logical trend in the region as China’s international status continues to rise.
“China has been an important trading partner of Honduras since long before the establishment of diplomatic relations, so the fact is that Honduras and China have been working together for a long time,” he said, referring to the establishment of their diplomatic relations as simply a natural choice that follows the trend and reflects the international reality.
Regarding the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI) proposed by China, he said it is “significant”, as it creates an important space for cooperation and brings countries around the world closer together.
According to him, the BRI “will help Honduras find new opportunities for development, investment and infrastructure construction that will benefit not only the Honduran people, but also the whole world. This will help connect the world”, he said. added Mr. Reina.
Honduras wants to strengthen its cultural cooperation with China, he said. In this regard, he said that with such an important project as the Confucius Institute, the Honduran government hopes that people will soon have the opportunity to learn Chinese there.
As Honduras faces many structural problems in its current development, Chinese modernization can provide experiences for Honduran reforms and help it promote education, trade and economic and social development, the minister said. END
