U.S. And China Vie For Influence In Honduras As Taiwan Arises As An Issue
November 26, 2021—Ahead of Sunday’s election in Honduras, the people face a critical choice between a corrupt status quo and an alternative that may bring in a left-wing and perhaps “communist” agenda.
The election has implications for Central America and beyond.
The battle is between the conservative National Party, in power since a 2009 coup and run by a corrupt leader, versus the left-wing Libre Party. The Libre Party candidate Xiomara Castro is leading in the polls. If she wins, she’s expected to usher in change.
Story Update: Libre Party candidate Xiomara Castro, 62, won the election after running on an anti-corruption platform. She replaces President Juan Orlando Hernández as the country’s top leader.
Violence Ahead of Elections
Meanwhile, the country itself is imbued with violence and corruption. In fact, it is one of the most violent countries in the world that is not currently at war. It is also one of the poorest.
This week, UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Michelle Bachelet expressed “deep concern” about political violence in the country “in an extremely tense and polarized context.” Already, the UN Human Rights Office recorded “63 cases of political violence, including 29 killings, 14 attacks, 12 instances of aggressive behaviour, as well as seven people directly threatened and one kidnapped,” according to the agency’s statement. Those figures are similar with reporting by the Observatory of Violence of the National Autonomous University of Honduras (UNAH).
Elections
More than 70 percent of the population said they think fraud will impact the election to some degree, according to a poll by the Center for the Study of Democracy. The center says that the Honduran people are not only poor in economic terms, they also have “inequality before the law and selective justice.”
Ahead of the elections, the Organization of American States sent a delegation of 91 observers to deploy throughout the country to encourage free and fair elections. The U.S. State Department also sent delegates to Honduras to convey support for democratic institutions and free and fair elections, several media outlets reported.
Corruption
Corruption has long plagued the country as transnational criminal networks control much of “the country’s political, economic and social systems,” Insight Crime reported. The U.S. prosecutors named the current President Juan Orlando Hernandez in a drug trafficking and weapons indictment.
“The National Party’s time in office has been marked by corruption, alleged involvement in drug trafficking, and increased militarisation, spurring mass migration to the United States,” Anna-Cat Brigida reported for Al Jazeera.
US-China Spar Over Influence
Meanwhile, even as the primary focus is on the impact of the people of Honduras, the elections are sparking a diplomatic dispute between the United States and China.
Honduras is one of 15 countries that maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Various reports suggest that Libre Party candidate Xiomara Castro might form stronger relations with mainland China at the expense of Taiwan. However, it’s unclear which direction she would take.
Relations with Taiwan
U.S. diplomats are encouraging both candidates to maintain the status quo and continue relations with Taiwan. According to multiple reports, including one by Reuters, a U.S. State Department warned candidates about “some of the risks associated with China’s approach to the region.”
“We’ve been quite clear with all the key actors in Honduras why we think the Honduras-Taiwan relationship is so important,” a State Department official told reporters in a telephone briefing. “We’d like to see that continue. We’ve said that to both of the leading candidates directly.”
-Reuters (see link above)
That infuriates China. Asked to comment about the conversation on Thursday by a reporter from the Hubei Media Group, China’s Foreign Ministry Spokesman said the U.S. diplomats are “blatantly violating” the one-China principle and “grossly” interfering in others’ internal affairs.
“It is not China’s approach that the Latin American people should be wary of, but the US’ long-standing hegemonic approach of regarding Central American countries as U.S. backyard,” said Spokesman Zhao Lijian. “Such power politics and hegemonic practices by the US are abhorred by the Latin American people and are doomed to fail.”
-Nov. 25 2021 press briefing
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