Dr. Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat, Senior Fellow, MSI² for FinGurú
On July 30, 2025, the government of Taiwan announced that shrimp from Belize would be able to enter the Taiwanese market tariff-free. This decision transcends purely commercial interests: it represents Taiwan's sustained commitment to diplomacy oriented towards mutual respect, trust among allies, and shared development, especially with countries in Latin America and the Caribbean that share democratic principles.
While Belize celebrates this expansion of economic and diplomatic ties, Honduras faces the consequences of a poorly calculated gamble. Since breaking relations with Taiwan in March 2023 to get closer to the People's Republic of China, the Central American country has seen one of its main export industries—the shrimp industry—collapse. According to media reports, exports to Taiwan fell by 74%, from 2,580 million pounds to just 840 million. This drop translated into the loss of thousands of jobs in coastal communities and a notable reduction in foreign currency income.
Promises of privileged access to the Chinese market quickly faded. Far from generating real new opportunities, China absorbed minimal export volumes at low prices and without guarantees of stability, leaving Honduras trapped between economic frustration and growing geopolitical dependency.
Coercive Diplomacy of China: Be Silent to Obey
But the situation is not limited to the economic realm. In the context of the Honduran presidential elections in November 2025, two key candidates—Salvador Nasralla (Liberal Party) and Nasry “Tito” Asfura (National Party)—have expressed their intention to restore diplomatic relations with Taiwan if elected. Nasralla, a former vice president, stated that “Honduras was much better when it cooperated with Taiwan,” while Asfura proposed a foreign policy based on a strategic alliance with the United States, Israel, and Taiwan.
These statements provoked an immediate reaction from the Chinese Embassy in Tegucigalpa, which publicly urged the candidates to “correct their words before it is too late.” This type of covert diplomatic warning illustrates how Beijing does not tolerate the political independence of its “partners” and resorts to direct pressures to condition the internal debate of countries.
Simultaneously, this authoritarian dynamic has also reached the Caribbean. In July 2025, Dominican politician and academic Pelegrín Castillo publicly denounced China's double standard in the Greater Caribbean region, criticizing its geopolitical use of the area against the United States and its indifference to the crisis in Haiti. The Chinese Embassy in Santo Domingo responded with a strong statement, labeling his remarks as “unfounded, erratic, and laden with ideological prejudice”, and suggesting that the academic should retract. This attempt to silence a critical voice again demonstrates the pattern of censorship that China seeks to impose even outside the South American continent.
These cases reveal a deeply authoritarian diplomatic model: Beijing exchanges promises for obedience, distorts markets through unfair subsidies, and represses any voice that questions its narrative. Latin America and the Caribbean, regions with a long history of struggle for self-determination, cannot allow their sovereign decisions to be treated as chess pieces in a foreign power game.
Taiwan: Concrete Results Under Integrated Diplomacy and the Prosperity Project for Diplomatic Allies
In the face of this coercive approach, Taiwan has built an alternative model of foreign policy focused on Integrated Diplomacy, a strategy that articulates bilateral cooperation, specialized technical assistance, and sustainable multilateral alliances. This vision is operationalized through the Prosperity Project for Diplomatic Allies, an initiative that seeks to promote sustainable development, strengthen economic security, and increase the institutional resilience of its diplomatic partners.
Unlike the methods of other global actors, Taiwan does not impose political conditions nor takes advantage of structural imbalances. On the contrary, it promotes tangible benefits and assistance tailored to local priorities. A clear example of this is the recent agreement allowing tariff-free entry of Belizean shrimp into the Taiwanese market: Belize not only gains access to a high-value market but also receives technical support in fishing health, assistance in international certification processes, and backing in multilateral organizations.
This approach has also been reflected in joint projects with Guatemala, Paraguay, and Eswatini, where comprehensive programs in technical education, sustainable agriculture, community health, and digital transformation have been developed. All these initiatives stem from a logic of shared responsibility and respect for the sovereignty of the receiving country, generating concrete and sustainable impacts.
For Taiwan, international cooperation is not a tool of domination, but a platform for mutual development. Within the framework of Integrated Diplomacy and the Prosperity Project for Diplomatic Allies, allies are not subordinates or clients, but friendly nations that move forward together towards a fairer, freer, and more prosperous future.
A Lesson for Latin America and the Caribbean
The Honduran experience should serve as a warning for other countries in the region that, in recent years, have opted to cut ties with Taiwan in exchange for short-term promises from China. Panama, for example, might reconsider whether the commitments made with Beijing have resulted in real development or have merely generated a structural dependency that limits its capacity for sovereign decision-making.
Restoring ties with Taiwan is not a diplomatic nostalgia but a strategic decision oriented towards autonomy, genuine cooperation, and building a more balanced future. Taiwan has demonstrated through actions—and not propaganda—that it is a transparent, reliable partner firmly committed to the well-being of its allies.
Conclusion: Betting on Taiwan is betting on freedom, dignity, and development
Latin America and the Caribbean face the challenge of redefining their role in an increasingly polarized international order today. In the face of pressures, censorship, and empty promises characterizing certain actors, the model of cooperation offered by Taiwan stands out as an ethical, effective, and sustainable alternative.
Belize chose to build. Honduras regrets having lost. Countries that value freedom, sovereignty, and progress must clearly observe which of these paths they wish to follow.
Because true cooperation is not imposed: it accompanies, respects, and transforms.
Orlando Gutiérrez-Boronat is the spokesperson for the Cuban Democratic Directorate and a member of the Assembly of the Cuban Resistance. Through his work, he has contributed to the establishment of the Justice Commission for Cuba, has served as an international diplomat defending a free Cuba, and has organized the Anti-Communist and Anti-Socialist Caravan and Seminar. Gutiérrez-Boronat obtained his bachelor's degree in communications and political science, his master's degree in political science from Florida International University, and his PhD in international relations from the University of Miami.
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