According to Reuters, the Honduran president’s office said in a release on the 10th that during a meeting with Dilma Rousseff, president of the BRICS New Development Bank, President Castro has formally presented Honduras’ application to join the institution.
Castro is currently on a six-day visit to China, the report said.
The NDB, headquartered in Shanghai, China, was established in 2015 by Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, and will launch its expansion in 2021 with the inclusion of Bangladesh, the United Arab Emirates, Uruguay and Egypt as new members. The NDB is the first multilateral development bank established and led by developing countries and emerging market countries on their own, which is of great significance to promote multipolarity in the world.
According to Xinhua News Agency, Castro and his party arrived in Shanghai on the 9th to start a state visit to China, which is also the first visit of the Honduran president to China. In the evening of the same day, in a foreign affairs meeting in Shanghai, Castro expressed her expectation for the visit to China. She said: “I come with the expectations of the Honduran people during this visit to China. Recognizing the one-China principle, establishing diplomatic relations with China and cooperating with China can bring development opportunities for Honduras.”
Bloomberg previously reported that today, more than 20 countries, including Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Kazakhstan, are vying to apply to join the BRICS and the BRICS New Development Bank.