Late last month, United States Republican congressmen Tom Tiffany and Andy Ogles sent a letter to Honduran President Nasry Asfura, who took office this January. In addition to congratulating him on his election victory, they expressed hope that he would announce the restoration of diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

Honduran legislators have criticized former leftist President Xiomara Castro for ending more than 80 years of diplomatic relations with Taiwan and switching recognition to China in 2023. However, Beijing’s promised trade and investment commitments to Honduras have failed to materialize.

Asfura, who received strong support from U.S. President Donald Trump during his campaign, has been in politics for more than 30 years. In a July interview with Bloomberg News last July, he said that if elected, he would restore diplomatic relations with Taiwan and build closer ties with the United States.

The two U.S. lawmakers wrote that during his campaign, Asfura had proposed aligning Honduras more closely with the U.S., Israel, and Taiwan. They voiced their strong support for the restoration of diplomatic relations with Taiwan as part of this effort.