Honduras: Foreign Relations

Honduras's foreign relations have traditionally centered on close ties with the United States, its largest trading partner and a key security and economic partner, formalized through the Central America-Dominican Republic Free Trade Agreement (CAFTA-DR) and continued U.S. military cooperation, including the presence of a joint task force at Soto Cano Air Base. Honduras is also an active member of the Central American Integration System (SICA) and other regional bodies, coordinating with neighboring states on trade, migration, and security matters.

Honduras's relationship with China and Taiwan has become one of its most closely watched foreign policy questions. The government of Xiomara Castro switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in 2023, but the relationship failed to deliver the trade benefits many had expected. After taking office in January 2026, President Nasry Asfura ordered a review of ties with Beijing, suspending numerous cooperation agreements and leaving the ambassadorial post in China vacant, while signaling openness to restoring relations with Taiwan. As of mid-2026, Honduras had not formally reversed its recognition of China, and the outcome of the policy review remained unresolved.

The United States has continued to exert significant influence over Honduras's foreign policy choices, particularly on trade, migration, and counter-narcotics cooperation, and Washington's preferences appear to have shaped Tegucigalpa's reconsideration of its China relationship. Honduras also maintains diplomatic and economic ties with other Central American and Latin American nations, though its foreign policy in 2026 has been defined above all by the balancing act between its historic alignment with the United States and its more recent, and increasingly uncertain, relationship with China.