Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina (R) holds a meeting with Yu Bo, representative of the Chinese Foreign Ministry, in Tegucigalpa, Honduras on April 11, 2023. On April 12, the Chinese Foreign Ministry hailed Honduras' decision to establish and develop relations with China on the basis of the one-China principle. Photo: VCG

Since the arrival of a preparation team from China in Honduran capital Tegucigalpa to build the Chinese embassy earlier this month, Chinese officials have held frequent and high-level meetings with multiple senior Honduran officials, fully advancing relevant preparations for the construction as well as promoting bilateral exchanges, Yu Bo, a Chinese diplomat who is leading the team, told the Global Times in an exclusive interview. 

The work has made initial progress and the Chinese Embassy in Honduras will be able to open soon, Yu said.  

The preparation team from China arrived in Tegucigalpa on the afternoon of April 4, and immediately began preparations for the construction of the Chinese embassy. Yu, the Counsellor for Latin American Affairs at China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs, told the Global Times that in less than two weeks, the Chinese team had met with politicians at all levels and in all fields in Honduras, including ruling party head and presidential adviser Manuel Zelaya, Foreign Minister of Honduras Eduardo Enrique Reina, and Secretary of Economic Development Pedro Barquero and Secretary of Agriculture and Livestock Laura Suazo. 

"During these meetings, the Honduran side acknowledged and promised to adhere to the one-China principle, said they will no longer have any official relations or conduct any official exchanges with Taiwan," Yu said. 

The two sides carried out comprehensive and rapid implementation of the various commitments in the joint communiqué on the establishment of diplomatic relations, and made preliminary progress in the development of the bilateral relations, including strengthening cooperation in various fields  such as inter-governmental and party cooperation, media, culture and tourism. 

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Qin Gang and his Honduran counterpart Eduardo Enrique Reina met in Beijing on March 26 and signed the Joint Communiqué on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations Between the People's Republic of China and the Republic of Honduras, recognizing Taiwan as an inalienable part of China's territory.

"Within a week of arriving in Honduras, we'd met with senior officials from the Honduran government five times. I believe this demonstrates the high level of importance that the Honduran government places on its relationship with China," Yu said. 

Yu described the atmosphere of these meetings as "friendly, candid, and warm," and expressed confidence that, with joint efforts, the dividends of establishing diplomatic relations between China and Honduras will be quickly released, and benefit both peoples faster.

Ruling party chairman Zelaya, who is also former Honduran president, told Yu that he had recently been studying Xi Jinping: The Governance of China and believed that China's successful experience in governance was worth learning from and emulating for Honduras.

Zelaya expressed hope for increased communication between the two countries, particularly in the areas of poverty reduction and anti-corruption efforts, Yu said. 

Regarding the preparations for the construction of the embassy, Yu told the Global Times that building an embassy is a systematic project that requires consideration of numerous factors.

"It not only involves selecting and inspecting the site and establishing a 'base camp' from an infrastructure perspective, but also involves coordinating with various aspects of the host country, accelerating mutual understanding and trust, promoting practical cooperation, and enabling a smooth start to the bilateral relationship," he said. 

"We are looking forward to opening the embassy in Honduras as soon as possible, raising the five-star red flag high on Honduran soil in a short period of time, and presenting China's image as a major country more comprehensively to the Honduran people," Yu said.

The team's work during the embassy preparations have received significant support from the Honduran side, and he believes that high-level representatives from Honduras will attend the opening ceremony.

"Building an embassy in a country where we had no diplomatic relations before is a challenging task, a heavy responsibility, and a glorious mission for us," Yu said. "Since we departed until now, my colleagues and I have been working day and night, feeling both the weight of our responsibility and the excitement of this historic moment," he noted. 

He recalled that after China signed the joint communiqué on establishing diplomatic relations with Honduras on March 26, the team members assembled quickly bringing national and Party flags and the large national emblem used for the embassy. "Our feelings can be described in three words: pride, confidence, and responsibility," Yu said.

They were soon surrounded by the warmth of Honduras. "As soon as we got off the plane, we felt the warm and friendly greetings and welcome from the Hondurans.  The Honduran government provided a lot of support and assistance to the Chinese team, made meticulous arrangements, and local Chinese companies came to greet the embassy building team with the Chinese national flag, expressing their excitement and expectations," Yu said. 

"In less than two weeks of exchange and contact, we have felt the expectations of the Honduran government and people for the relationship between the two countries, as well as the blessings of the local Chinese and Chinese enterprises for the relationship between the two countries. All of these have further strengthened our confidence in the bright prospects of the China-Honduras relationship," the Chinese diplomat said.