Although ties between the two nations are cut, Honduras owes more than $440 million USD (NT$13.8 billion) to Taiwan, which has been building since 1999.
Taiwan provided this funding for housing reconstruction purposes, education, and the Better Life Voucher program (Bono Vida Mejor) to combat poverty.
Honduras broke off relations with Taiwan in favor of creating relations with China to improve economic opportunities. However, China only offered 50 percent of the prices for shrimp that Taiwan offered, which resulted in the loss of approximately 10,000 jobs in the industry. The decreased prices led to around $15 million USD in losses.
Honduras is now struggling to export products due to the setback, with Taiwan making up around 70–80% of the shrimp exports alone.
