TEGUCIGALPA (Reuters) – Honduran President Xiomara Castro will travel to China in “the next few hours,” a state media publication announced on Monday, the first presidential visit after the Central American nation and Asian giant established diplomatic relations in March.
Castro’s trip marks another step in the new relationship, after Honduras ditched ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing.
“President Xiomara Castro will travel in the next few hours to the People’s Republic of China in response to an invitation from her Asian counterpart Xi Jinping,” state media outlet Poder Popular wrote in story published on Monday.
The two countries launched diplomatic relations after Castro’s decision to cut ties with Taiwan in a bid for more investment and jobs from the much larger Chinese economy.
The Honduran foreign minister said last month both sides will “soon” begin talks towards a trade deal, with coffee set to be the first Honduran export to the massive Chinese market.
Castro’s leftist government is also seeking agreements with China to lighten the nation’s debt burden.
(Reporting by Gustavo Palencia; Writing by Valentine Hilaire; Editing by David Alire Garcia)
