TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Despite their government’s decision to switch diplomatic recognition to China after 82 years of formal diplomatic relations, a group of Honduran students in Taiwan want people to know that they are grateful for the assistance Taiwan has provided to them and their country until now.

The National Chengchi University (NCCU) students spoke to Taiwan News on Tuesday (March 28) after their first meeting with university administration since the announcement of the diplomatic break and said that what comes next is unclear. During the meeting, they were told different government agencies, the university, and the university president were still working to find a solution.

Master’s student Jorge Salandia said that he still does not know if he will be able to finish his studies. “Basically, at this point, we are pushing for a little bit more clarity,” he said, “but we do realize this took MOFA by surprise, and of course our university, because I know it’s hard to ask them to take the burden.”

Victor Hugo, also a master’s student, said despite the uncertainty, the group was highly appreciative of the government’s commitment to funding their studies until at least the end of the semester, and that this will give students, the university, and the government time to decide what to do. “Until June they will keep the stipend and the tuition coming, it will be enough time for them to prepare financially, and speak to any third party like their parents or the government in Honduras,” he said, “and there are three months for the universities to have a clear response.”

Hugo also said that while the university had dealt with similar situations before, “they have only ever had one or two students in NCCU with this problem, but this time it was much more than that.”

Taiwan News obtained a document showing that out of the 22 Hondurans enrolled at NCCU, 18 of them receive Taiwan government scholarships. Eight students receive funding from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA), 10 from the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) scholarships, three are self-funded, and one receives an undefined scholarship.

In Central America, students from Mexico, Honduras, Guatemala, and Belize (of which the latter two are Taiwan's formal diplomatic allies) are currently eligible for the ICDF scholarship, though it is unclear whether Honduras will remain on this list. Before Panama broke ties with Taiwan in 2017 and Nicaragua did the same in 2021, ICDF was awarding scholarships to students from those countries, but no longer does.

NCCU staff held a meeting on March 28 with its Honduran students for the first time since the Taiwan-Honduras diplomatic split was announced. (Taiwan News photo)

Eligibility for the MOFA scholarship is not limited by nationality, though applications are administered by Taiwan’s diplomatic missions in applicants’ home countries. Taiwan’s embassy in Honduras has been disestablished with the ambassador returning to Taiwan on March 25.

Abagail Duarte is an undergraduate student who is in her second semester with three more years of studies before graduation, and said that during their meeting the university and staff members had expressed remorse. “Even in the meeting they said ‘we are sorry’, and I was surprised, because we are the ones to be sorry,” she said.

Hugo agreed, saying that during Taiwan’s relationship with Honduras, Taiwan never said “we can’t now.” “There was always an emergency committee, there were always missions sent to our country, and there were a bunch of sustainable projects in many parts of the country,” he said.

Duarte also said that NCCU staff asked the Honduran students if they would consider going to China to complete their studies. She said that it was difficult to consider a move, because she and her peers had “already built a new life here” in Taiwan.

Sophia Fuentes is also an undergraduate student with three more years of study before graduation, and said that for her, going to China is not an option she would consider. “One of the main reasons is that in going to China, we would need to start from zero, our credits will not be taken over,” she said.

In addition to the disruption to study, Fuentes said that her government decisions appeared ungrateful to Taiwan, but that she and her classmates are “very thankful” to Taiwan for the support they have received. “It’s kind of unfair for Honduras to end relations so abruptly without even saying thank you,” she said, highlighting the more than 80 year relationship between the two countries.

Duarte said that after the meeting with the university she realized it would take some time for the government and the university to decide what to do. “We realized that these decisions are not made in a week, it goes much deeper, and we just hope that the best decision will be made for us,” she said.

Salandia agreed: “We just know it’s uncertain, but we are hoping for the best.”