WASHINGTON—The United States stands with Honduras and condemns the “cynical use” of COVID-19 vaccines for political purposes, the State Department said, after Taiwan blasted China for seeking to use vaccines to make diplomatic inroads with one of Taipei’s allies. Honduras, among a small number of Latin American countries to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan, has said it was considering opening an office in China in a bid to acquire much-needed COVID-19 shots, prompting Taipei to criticize Beijing for pushing a vaccine-for-recognition deal. Several Latin American nations are receiving Chinese vaccines, but countries such as Honduras and Guatemala that have built ties with democratic Taiwan—which Beijing considers a breakaway province—are not. “We condemn the cynical use of potentially life-saving medical assistance to advance the narrow political agendas of certain donors,” a State Department spokesman told Reuters without mentioning China when asked about the situation involving Honduras. “Taiwan’s relationships with countries in the …