Honduran president's visit to China is a full success with fruitful outcomes: spokesperson

(ECNS) -- Honduran President Xiomara Castro’s first state visit to China has been a full success with fruitful outcomes and the visit has opened up a new chapter for China-Honduras relations, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said at a news briefing on Wednesday. 

Wang called it a history-making visit that boosted trust and expanded cooperation.

The two presidents met for the first time and jointly charted the course for bilateral relations.

President Xi Jinping noted that China will stay firmly committed to growing friendly relations with Honduras, staunchly support Honduras’s economic and social development, and seek to be good friends and partners of mutual respect, equality, mutual benefit and common development with Honduras, Wang said.

President Castro noted that Honduras firmly supports and adheres to the one-China principle and that the rapid growth of bilateral relations since the establishment of diplomatic ties a little more than two months ago has given the Honduran people full confidence in the future of the relationship. Honduras is ready to work with China for the steady and sustained growth of bilateral relations.

A joint declaration was issued following the meeting. Honduras became a new member of the family of Belt and Road cooperation and expressed strong support for the Global Development Initiative, the Global Security Initiative and the Global Civilization Initiative put forward by President Xi Jinping.

A total of 17 cooperation agreements were signed, covering political exchange, trade, quality inspection and quarantine, agriculture, science, technology, culture, education and media, which constituted the main sectors going forward for practical cooperation.

Leaders of both sides agreed to launch the negotiation process for a free trade agreement at an early date to bring bilateral trade cooperation to a new height.

President Castro’s visit has attracted extensive attention in China, Honduras and the rest of the world, and the Chinese public has also followed the visit closely.

This speaks to both peoples’ high hopes for and confidence in the future prospects of China-Honduras ties, Wang said.

China will redouble its efforts of working with Honduras to act on the important common understandings reached by our presidents and give our relationship the strength it needs to cross mountains and oceans and sail towards an even brighter future, he added.