TEGUCIGALPA, Aug. 6 (Xinhua) -- On June 28, 2009, a military coup took place in Honduras, forcing then-President Manuel Zelaya to step down. For nearly half a year afterward, the political situation in Honduras remained turbulent.
Zelaya, also a presidential advisor, told Xinhua that many of the 20th-century political coups in Latin America and the Caribbean were related to the interests of American multinational corporations.
"I once asked a U.S. senior official if the United States had a manual for instigating coups. He told me there wasn't just one manual, but four manuals for instigating coups, and one is currently being prepared," Zelaya said.
At the end of 2021, Xiomara Castro, wife of Zelaya, was elected as the first female president in the history of Honduras. After taking office, Castro began to change the oligarchic political situation supported by external forces.
Despite persistent pressure from the United States, the government of Honduras showed resilience and formally forged diplomatic ties with China in March 2023. During her visit to China three months later, Castro said Honduras firmly supports and abides by the one-China principle, and firmly believes that friendly cooperation with China will bring Honduras more and better development opportunities.
"Cooperating with China not only contributes to the economic development of Honduras, but also reflects its independence and autonomy in the new international order," said Allan Fajardo, an academic from the National Autonomous University of Honduras.
Castro has pledged to strengthen regional integration and democracy, and advocate for the construction of a more just, equitable and prosperous region. Honduras has actively spoken out against external interference in the Haitian crisis and mediated the diplomatic dispute between Ecuador and Mexico.
Zelaya believed Castro's election as the first female president of Honduras and the decision to establish diplomatic relations with China "means the creation of a new era."
"Our country is actively participating in the development of the Global South," said Zelaya.
Sandra Deras, CEO of Nana Banana Honduras, highlighted the transition from American-owned banana fields to a majority of Honduran-operated businesses in over 50,000 hectares of banana plantations in Honduras. "We are the owners of this land, the owners of banana planting resources, and we always prioritize the interests of the Honduran people," Deras said.
Currently, most of the bananas produced by the company target domestic market demands. Deras emphasized that planting one hectare of bananas can provide employment opportunities for two families, and that as a developing country, Honduras needs to create more job opportunities to prevent immigration to the United States.
Today, Honduras is pursuing new development opportunities and international status by collaborating with the Global South, which marks a step forward from the so-called "banana republic" towards a more independent and diversified nation, said Fajardo. ■
