Honduras president-elect’s China pledge puts Taiwan and US on edge

Xiomara Castro has said she will foster ties with Beijing in what experts see as a move to counter US influence

Xiomara Castro's victory in the Honduras presidential elections has placed the Central American nation at the heart of an intensifying diplomatic tug-of-war between Taiwan and China.

Honduras is one of only 15 remaining countries that recognizes the sovereignty of Taiwan, which China claims as part of its own territory. But Castro made a manifesto pledge to end that decades-long relationship and establish diplomatic ties with Beijing.