Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen praised Honduras for its loyalty on Monday at the start of a trip to four Central American nations aimed at strengthening ties, days after she met U. S. lawmakers in Texas on a visit that angered China .
Her trip has come under scrutiny since U. S. President-elect Donald Trump sparked protests from Beijing by accepting a congratulatory telephone call from Tsai on his U. S. election win, and by questioning U. S. commitment to China’s stance that Taiwan is part of one China.
Tsai emphasized Taiwan’s economic cooperation with Honduras, one of the world’s poorest countries, and said President Juan Orlando Hernandez, whom she met in Tegucigalpa, had been the first to congratulate her on her 2016 election victory.
