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Harris speaks with with Taiwan Vice President in Central America
Speaking after a meeting with Honduras' new president, Xiomara Castro, Harris told reporters they did not discuss China.
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This handout picture taken and released by Taiwan’s Presidential Office on January 28, 2022 shows Taiwan’s Vice President William Lai (2nd-R) and US Vice President Kamala Harris (2nd-L) during the Honduras President inauguration ceremony in Tegucigalpa. (AFP/Handout)
U
S Vice President Kamala Harris said she spoke with her Taiwanese counterpart, William Lai, in Honduras on Thursday about their shared interest in Central America and the US government's "root causes" strategy to curb migration.
Speaking after a meeting with Honduras' new president, Xiomara Castro, Harris told reporters they did not discuss China.
Harris, the first foreign official to have a bilateral meeting with Castro, who was sworn in on Thursday welcomed the priority the new president had placed "on countering corruption and impunity, including her intent to request the assistance of the United Nations in establishing an international anti-corruption commission," said a readout from Harris's office.
Castro needs international support to renegotiate a foreign debt of some $11 billion.
Harris said her visit would be an opportunity to boost cooperation on key issues "from the fight against corruption to economic recovery."
Castro will also meet Lai, though separately, "to exchange views on issues of mutual concern," according to Taiwan's foreign ministry, quoted by AFP.
Honduras is one of just 14 countries to recognize Taiwan.
China, which considers Taiwan a part of its territory, has spent decades successfully encouraging its allies to switch sides.
On the election campaign, Castro vowed to "immediately open diplomatic and commercial relations with mainland China" if she won.
