Honduran State TV Airs CGTN Program Amid Diplomatic Shift

On March 26, 2023, just hours after Honduras severed ties with Taiwan, the Chinese international state broadcaster CGTN (中國國際電視台) aired a special program on Canal Ocho (第八頻道), Honduras’s state-owned “Channel 8.” The program, clearly prepared well in advance of the shift of diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to the PRC, revealed the diplomatic role played by Chinese state media in the transition. CGTN operates under China Media Group (中國媒體集團), the state-run conglomerate directly under the Chinese Communist Party’s Central Propaganda Department (中央宣傳部). CMG subsequently established a permanent bureau in Tegucigalpa, while Xinhua News Agency (新華社) opened a local office positioned as a hub for Central American operations. Shortly afterward, 30 Honduran journalists participated in a ten-day, all-expenses-paid tour of China under Foreign Ministry supervision — consistent with Beijing’s post-recognition media engagement strategy across the region.