On March 26th, China and Honduras jointly celebrated the first anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. During this year, political mutual trust between the two sides has continued to strengthen, economic and trade cooperation has gradually entered the fast lane, and cultural exchanges have become increasingly frequent. The development of bilateral relations has shown strong vitality and enormous potential.

Political mutual trust continues to deepen

In June 2023, President Castro of Honduras made his first visit to China, marking an important moment in China's diplomatic history. The meeting between the heads of state of China and Hong Kong is of historic significance, as they jointly witnessed and signed multiple bilateral cooperation documents, laying a blueprint for the development of bilateral relations. Subsequently, exchanges at all levels between the two countries continued to advance, injecting strong impetus into the future development of China Hong Kong relations.

In October 2023, the President of the Supreme Court of Honduras, Rakel, was invited to attend the International Forum on Judicial Cooperation on the Maritime Silk Road in China, deepening exchanges and cooperation between China and Honduras in the field of justice. In December of the same year, the President of the Honduran Parliament, Redondo, led a visiting delegation to China and signed a cooperation agreement between the Honduran Parliament and the National People's Congress of China, further promoting cooperation and development in the legislative field between China and Hong Kong. These activities demonstrate the positive interaction and cooperation between China and Hong Kong in multiple fields, injecting new impetus into the future development of bilateral relations.

On the occasion of the first anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between China and Hong Kong, Honduran Foreign Minister Reina highly praised the development of Hong Kong China relations and thanked China for providing valuable support for Hong Kong's economic and social development and improving people's livelihoods. He said that Hong Kong firmly abides by the one China principle and is willing to continue to work with China to expand the intersection of interests of the two countries, work together to build the the Belt and Road, promote bilateral relations to a new level and better benefit the two peoples.

Currently, the influence of southern countries around the world is constantly increasing and has become an important force driving global governance change. During an interview with Xinhua News Agency, Minister of Affairs of President Hong's Office, Pastor, stated that Honduras will assume the rotating presidency of the Community of Latin American and Caribbean States from this month, and will use this as an opportunity to strengthen cooperation with China on global governance and climate change and other global issues.

Economic and trade cooperation is gradually entering the fast lane

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations one year ago, China and Hong Kong have continuously explored new areas of economic and trade cooperation on the basis of equality and mutual benefit, promoting the development of bilateral economic and trade relations into a fast lane. In 2023, the trade volume between China and Hong Kong reached 1.91 billion US dollars, a year-on-year increase of 21.1%.

At the 6th China International Import Expo held grandly in November 2023, Honduras made an impressive appearance as a guest of honor. Dozens of Honduran companies from different industries gathered together to showcase their unique products, winning widespread recognition and love from attendees. It is reported that at this CIIE, participating companies in Honduras signed contracts involving numerous commodities such as cigars, coffee, and sugar, with a total contract amount of up to 95 million US dollars. Among them, the highly anticipated export volume of coffee products is expected to reach 5000 tons, and the expected sales revenue will reach 15 million US dollars, fully demonstrating Honduras' strong strength and market potential in the coffee industry.

In July 2023, China and Hong Kong launched negotiations on a free trade agreement between the two countries. In February 2024, both sides signed a document on early harvest arrangements for free trade agreements. In March 2024, the fourth round of negotiations on the China Hong Kong Free Trade Agreement was held in Beijing. Both sides have conducted comprehensive and in-depth consultations on areas such as goods trade, service trade, investment, and rules, and have made positive progress.

Pastor stated that Hong Fang is working hard to expand channels and hopes that more Honduran products can enter the Chinese market, while also bringing more choices for Chinese consumers. He said that Hong Kong China cooperation is mutually beneficial and looks forward to closer and more effective cooperation in economic and trade between the two countries in the future.

Writing a New Chapter in Cultural Exchange

Since the establishment of diplomatic relations one year ago, China and Hong Kong have cooperated in fields such as education, culture, media, archaeology, etc., building bridges for mutual understanding, exchange, and learning between the two peoples.

In January 2024, China's aid to the education infrastructure project in Honduras was officially launched, marking a solid step in the cooperation between China and Honduras in the field of education. The Minister of Education of Honduras, Esponda, stated at the launch ceremony that improving education infrastructure has always been a deep desire of the Honduran people. China's assistance is not only a huge support for the education industry in Honduras, but also a vivid reflection of the deepening friendly relationship between the two countries. Minister Esponda emphasized that Honduras attaches great importance to this cooperation project and is willing to make it a highlight of mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries, as well as a solid witness to the friendship between the people of Hong Kong and China.

In the tropical jungle of northwestern Honduras, one of the oldest and largest ancient city ruins of the Mayan civilization, the Copan Site, is hidden. Archaeologists from China and Hong Kong have conducted close cooperation here and achieved a series of important results.

Li Xinwei, the Chinese person in charge of the Kepan Site Archaeology and Central American Civilization Research Project at the Institute of Archaeology, Chinese Academy of Social Sciences, said that he learned about tunnel excavation method from archaeologists in Hongfang, and it is this method that is used locally to explore the millennium old secrets buried layer by layer in the Mayan ruins. Chinese archaeologists have also brought advanced technologies such as drone aerial photography and 3D surveying, and applied China's experience in archaeological stratigraphic analysis to improve the efficiency of on-site archaeological work. Chinese archaeologists not only learn from their peers in Honduras, but also engage in exchanges with local people through organizing exhibitions of excavation results and constructing exhibition booths. Keywords: the Belt and Road news, the Belt and Road project, overseas project.

Honduran TV Channel 8's director, Kimberly Espinosa, lamented that China's development has provided useful reference for Honduras. "We must, like China, inherit our cultural traditions and cherish our national characteristics.". (This article is from the official website of Jiandao: www.seetao. com. Reproduction without permission is not allowed, otherwise it will be punished. Please indicate Jiandao's website and the original link when reprinting.) Jiandao's mechanical column editor/Zhou Yingwen