Factbox-Diplomatic competition between Taiwan and China

FILE PHOTO: Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen makes a joint statement with her Guatemalan counterpart Alejandro Giammattei (not pictured) at the Palacio Nacional de la Cultura, in Guatemala City, Guatemala March 31, 2023. REUTERS/Luis Echeverria

Taiwan and China have engaged for years in competition for diplomatic recognition, but the pendulum has long swung decisively in Beijing's favour.

Honduras last month ended its decades-long relationship with Taiwan and said it only recognised China, leaving Taiwan with formal diplomatic relations with just 13 countries.