Who are Taiwan’s formal diplomatic allies?

Honduras ambassador to Taiwan, Harold Burgos, arrives at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs in Taipei after the country's president said it might recognise the People's Republic of China [Ann Wang/Reuters]

Honduras has said it is looking to open formal diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China.

The country has formal links with Taiwan and would have to break that relationship if it decided to recognise China, which views the self-governed island of 23 million people as its own territory with no right to state-to-state ties.

China has stepped up efforts to isolate the self-ruled island diplomatically since Tsai Ing-wen was first elected president in 2016.

At that time, Taiwan had formal ties with 22 states. Now that number is 14.

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen welcoming Tuvalu Prime Minister Kausea Natano to Taipei last September [File: Ann Wang/Reuters]

Below are the countries that still maintain formal links with Taiwan.

Africa

Eswatini

Europe

The Vatican

Latin America and the Caribbean

Belize

Guatemala

Haiti

Honduras

Paraguay

Saint Kitts and Nevis

Saint Lucia

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen welcomed King Mswati III of Eswatini to the self-ruled island in October last year. Eswatini is Taiwan’s only formal ally in Africa [File: Ann Wang/Reuters]

Pacific

Marshall Islands

Nauru

Palau

Tuvalu