Taiwan said Wednesday its deputy leader will go to the inauguration of Honduran president-elect Xiomara Castro as the island faces the potential loss of yet another diplomatic ally in Latin America.

Castro said during campaigning that she would "immediately open diplomatic and commercial relations with mainland China" if she won.

Last month, neighbouring Nicaragua switched its allegiance to Beijing, leaving Honduras as one of just 14 countries that still diplomatically recognise Taiwan rather than China.

China claims self-ruled Taiwan as its territory, to be retaken one day, by force if necessary, and has stepped up efforts to isolate it on the world stage.

Taiwanese Vice President William Lai will lead a 26-member delegation to attend the January 27 inauguration, President Tsai Ing-wen's office said.

Tsai had said she hoped official relations with Honduras would "continue to deepen" when congratulating Castro on her election victory in the November poll.

Lai is scheduled to hold a meeting with Castro "to exchange views on issues of mutual concern" during the six-day visit, according to deputy foreign minister Alexander Yui.

"We have quite good communication and interactions with president-elect Castro herself and her team," Yui told reporters.

"They understand that ... the various cooperation projects Taiwan has been promoting in Honduras have really benefitted the people," he said.

Yui said in an interview with Honduran media last year that many promises from Beijing were unfulfilled and left some countries in serious "debt traps."

- 'Only a matter of time' -

Latin America has been a key diplomatic battleground for China and Taiwan since the two split in 1949 after a civil war.

Beijing has spent decades successfully encouraging Taiwan's diplomatic allies to switch sides, a campaign it ramped up after Tsai's 2016 election.

Since then, China has poached eight of the island's allies, including four in Latin America -- Panama, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua.

Chinese vice foreign minister Le Yucheng on Tuesday said it was "only a matter of time" before Taiwan's diplomatic allies "fall to zero," adding that Nicaragua's move away from the island reflected "a general trend."

Taipei recently accused Beijing of trying to lure allies away by offering Covid-19 vaccines.

Before November's election, Taiwan warned Honduras against "flashy and false" promises by China, after Castro, of the main opposition Liberty and Refoundation Party, said she planned to switch sides.

The leftist politician, wife of ousted former president Manuel Zelaya, won by a comfortable margin over her right-wing opponent, Nasry Asfura.

Taiwanese media said Lai was planning to transit in the United States en route to Honduras, a move likely to irritate China, which has previously protested US stopovers by President Tsai.

China hits out at Slovenia for plan to strengthen Taiwan ties
Beijing (AFP) Jan 19, 2022 - Beijing on Wednesday hit out at Slovenia after the European Union country said it plans to strengthen ties with the self-ruled island of Taiwan.

China claims democratic Taiwan as its territory, to be retaken one day by force if necessary, and has stepped up efforts to diplomatically isolate it in recent years.

Beijing also bristles at any international support for Taiwan that might lend any sense of international legitimacy to the island.

"We have noted that the Slovenian leader has openly made a dangerous statement challenging the One-China principle, supporting 'Taiwan independence'", Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said at a regular briefing Wednesday.

"We are deeply shocked and strongly opposed to this."

The backlash comes after Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa said his country is preparing an exchange of representatives with Taiwan.

"We are working on establishing... well, on exchanging representatives," Jansa said in an interview to India's Doordarshan national television, published on the government's website.

He added the move would have come much earlier if he had the support in parliament and argued that the vast majority of EU member countries already have "some kind of representative offices" with Taiwan.

Jansa's comment was welcomed by Taipei.

"Prime Minister Jansa is a good friend of Taiwan and he had visited Taiwan multiple times before," foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said on Tuesday.

Slovenia -- a former Yugoslav state that joined the EU in 2004 -- has been part of China's "17 + 1" cooperation group created in 2012 to promote Chinese investments in Central and Eastern European countries.

But its warming ties with Taiwan threaten to fuel ongoing tensions between the EU and Beijing.

Lithuania's decision last year to allow Taiwan to open a representative office under its own name infuriated Beijing, which downgraded diplomatic ties with the Baltic state in November and imposed a trade embargo.

Related Links
Taiwan News at SinoDaily.com

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Slovenia in talks over closer cooperation with Taiwan
Ljubljana (AFP) Jan 18, 2022
Slovenian Prime Minister Janez Jansa announced the European Union country is preparing an exchange of representatives with Taiwan, a move that could worsen relations with China but was welcomed by Taipei on Tuesday. "We are working on establishing ... well, on exchanging representatives," Jansa told an interview to India's Doordarshan national television published on the government's website. He added the move would have come much earlier had he had the support in parliament and argued that the ... read more