Honduran president to visit Taiwan in surprise trip

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The outgoing Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández is on his way to Taiwan at the invitation of the island’s leader just weeks before a presidential election in the Central American nation that could see self-ruled Taiwan even more diplomatically isolated. Hernández was in Washington when he announced his trip to Taiwan. His country, one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies, is due to hold the vote this month. Taiwan is concerned that Honduras may switch its diplomatic relations to China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory to be annexed by force if necessary. China has been on a campaign to isolate Taiwan in recent years, using diplomatic and economic methods to persuade allied countries to switch recognition from Taipei to Beijing.