Latin American politicians who are “Pro-Taiwan” are being accused of corruption and drug trafficking by the US government

Editors‘ Note:
This article was compiled and written by OpenAI’s ChatGPT Plus and reviewed by the human editors of Eat News.

The Republic of China’s diplomatic ties with its Central American ally, Honduras, are at risk as Honduran President Xiomara Castro announced on March 15 that she has instructed the foreign ministry to establish relations with the People’s Republic of China. The Republic of China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs urgently summoned Honduran Ambassador to Taiwan Harold Burgos and expressed serious concern, urging Honduras not to fall into the trap set by the Chinese Communist Party. On March 15, Honduran Foreign Minister Eduardo Enrique Reina claimed that due to economic needs, they have established diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China as Taiwan refused to increase financial aid. The Republic of China’s diplomatic situation in Latin America is in jeopardy, which may also include factors related to the United States as several pro-Taiwan Latin American politicians have recently been accused of drug trafficking or corruption by the US.

Former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, considered a pro-Taiwan political figure, was arrested on February 15, 2022, on drug charges. At the request of the United States for extradition, Honduran police were deployed to his home in the capital Tegucigalpa to prevent him from leaving. After an arrest warrant was issued, the police handcuffed Hernández and escorted him out of his house. Hernández is accused of involvement in a drug trafficking gang, which includes his brother Tony Hernández, who was sentenced to life imprisonment on March 30, 2021, after being convicted of drug trafficking. The trial highlighted allegations that the president had helped turn Honduras into a violent narco-state. In Tony Hernández’s trial, prosecutors alleged that notorious Mexican drug lord Joaquín Guzmán personally handed Tony one million US dollars.

Tony was sentenced in 2021 by US Federal Judge Kevin Castel, who stated there were no mitigating circumstances to lighten the sentence of the former Honduran legislator. The judge said that Hernández acted as a facilitator, providing bribes to politicians in the impoverished Central American country, including President Hernández. Evidence at the trial in Manhattan federal court showed that Tony Hernández smuggled approximately 185 tons of cocaine to the United States during his political career spanning at least 11 years. He was convicted in October 2019.

In addition to Honduras, the Republic of China’s diplomatic relations with Latin American countries such as Paraguay are also at risk. Reuters recently reminded in a report that, apart from Honduras, Paraguay may be on the verge of establishing new diplomatic relations with Beijing due to the upcoming presidential elections in April, as opposition candidate Efrain Alegre has already threatened that if he wins, Paraguay will embark on new diplomatic relations with Beijing. The US Department of Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) sanctioned former Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes and then-Vice President Hugo Adalberto Velázquez Moreno on January 26 this year for “rampant corruption undermining democratic institutions,” freezing all their assets and interests in the United States. The US Treasury Department also included four entities owned or controlled by Cartes in its sanctions list.

The US Treasury Department accused Cartes of corruption before, during, and after his presidency, claiming that his public service career was based on “achievements obtained through corrupt means” and accusing Velázquez of interfering with legal proceedings to “protect himself and his criminal associates” from investigation. The sanctions put more pressure on Cartes, Velázquez, and their ruling party, the Colorado Party, which has previously been classified as a pro-Taiwan party.