DIPLOMACY: During Honduras’ presidential election last year, Nasry Asfura had expressed his intention to restore relations with Taiwan
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Staff writer, with AFP
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Honduran President Nasry Asfura on Saturday said he is considering switching diplomatic ties to Taiwan from China.
Asfura was quoted as making the remarks after his meeting with US President Donald Trump at the latter’s Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida.
Asfura, a conservative businessman and former mayor of the Honduran capital, Tegucigalpa, was sworn in last week after winning elections in November last year with Trump’s backing.
Honduran President Nasry Asfura, left, and US President Donald Trump, right, are pictured in a composite photograph.
Photo: AFP
During Honduras’ presidential election, then-contenders National Party of Honduras’ Asfura and Salvador Nasralla of the Liberal Party had stated their intentions that if they were elected they would restore diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which were severed in 2023 by then-Honduran president Xiomara Castro in favor of China, ending an 82-year alliance.
Trump had threatened to cut aid to Central America’s poorest country if his “friend” was defeated.
“I had a very important meeting with my friend, and the President of Honduras, Nasry ‘Tito’ Asfura,” Trump wrote on his Truth Social platform on Saturday. “Once I gave him my strong Endorsement, he won his Election! Tito and I share many of the same America First Values. We have a close partnership on Security.”
He said the pair discussed investment and trade between the two nations.
The Honduran presidency released a photo of the two leaders smiling and giving a thumbs up.
Asfura already met with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio on Jan. 12, after which the two countries announced plans for a free trade deal.
His win gave Trump another ally in Latin America after conservatives campaigning heavily on crime and corruption replaced leftists in Chile, Bolivia, Peru and Argentina.
