https://ift.tt/wEcZxH U.S. and Taiwanese vice presidents had a brief conversation Thursday at the inauguration of the new Honduran president, a rare encounter that is highly symbolic and likely to add to Beijing’s tensions with Washington.
The United States, like most countries, has no formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, though its strong support for the island both politically and through arms sales is one of the main sources of Sino-U.S. friction.
U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris said she spoke with her Taiwanese counterpart, William Lai, in Honduras about their shared interest in Central America and the U.S. government’s “root causes” strategy to curb migration.
“The brief conversation that we had was really about a common interest in this part of the region and apparently Taiwan’s interest in our root causes strategy,” she told reporters, adding Lai had approached her.
Taiwan’s official Central News Agency characterized it as a “simple greeting,” saying the two “talked briefly and interacted naturally.”
It carried a picture of them standing next to each other on a stage talking, both wearing face masks, and Lai sporting a lapel pin of entwined Taiwanese and Honduran flags.
Honduras is one of only 14 countries still to formally recognize Taiwan.
Honduras’ new president, Xiomara Castro, floated the idea of ditching Taipei for Beijing in her election campaign, though on Wednesday she told Lai that Honduras is grateful for Taiwan’s support and hopes to maintain their relationship.