China suddenly bought a lot more Honduran shrimp in August, but the numbers show Taiwan is still by far the bigger customer — a win for Taiwan's leverage and cold comfort for Honduran shrimp farmers.

• Honduras switched recognition from Taiwan to China and lost its main shrimp market; the promised Chinese boom never came.
• Through August, Taiwan bought about 3.5 times as much Honduran shrimp as China.
• China's August purchases jumped sharply after seven months of buying almost nothing, arriving just as Honduran criticism got loud.
• Honduras has paused free-trade talks with China, and lawmakers set up a special committee over the shrimp crisis.
• Farm leaders say more than 10,000 jobs vanished and over 100 small shrimp firms shut down after losing Taiwan.

Outlook: Pressure is building inside Honduras to repair trade ties with Taiwan, and China's sudden buying spree looks like an attempt to head that off.