Paraguay and Taiwan reaffirm ties after China sought to lure away another Taipei ally

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Paraguay’s President Santiago Peña said Friday that his country deeply values its ties with Taiwan, in a show of solidarity with the island democracy a day after Beijing asked the South American nation to sever diplomatic relations with Taipei.

Paraguay is the only country in South America and one of 12 worldwide to recognize Taiwan. Beijing considers Taiwan its own territory and has ramped up a campaign over the past few years to lure Taiwan’s diplomatic allies, in addition to increasing military pressure around the island.

At a military honors event, Peña said the ceremony symbolizes the unwavering determination between both sides to continuously deepen their ties and partnership, according to an interpreter. He said based on the foundation of shared values such as democracy, freedom and human rights, it will continue to support Taiwan and promote bilateral strategic partnership.

“Paraguay highly values the relationship,” the interpreter quoted him as saying outside the Taiwan's presidential office.

Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te thanked his counterpart and Paraguay's government for speaking out for Taiwan and firmly supporting Taiwan's international participation.

“I believe the friendship between Taiwan and Paraguay will further deepen and their cooperation will become closer through the visit of President Peña,” Lai said.

The reaffirmation of ties came after Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian on Thursday urged Paraguayan authorities to “come to the right side of the history as soon as possible” and sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. He said the one-China principle is a basic norm in international relations and 183 countries have formed diplomatic relations with China.

In their bilateral meeting at the presidential office Friday, Peña said his country solemnly called on the international community to recognize that the people of Taiwan should have the right to make their own decisions based on the principles of democracy and fairness.

“I want to stress that excluding Taiwan from the important United Nations system is not only unfair, but also undermines the legitimacy of the United Nations as the most representative organization of democratic countries in the world,” he said.

Lai and Peña presided over the signing of bilateral agreements, including one memorandum of understanding about artificial intelligence computing center investment.

In an interview with Taiwan’s Central News Agency, Peña said he met Honduran President Nasry Asfura on the sidelines of an event before arriving Thursday for the four-day trip.

While Peña said they did not directly discuss whether Honduras would reestablish ties with the island, he told Asfura that his nation had a great relationship with Taiwan, the report said.

Honduras established diplomatic ties with China in 2023 after breaking off relations with Taiwan.

Asfura, who was elected president with the backing of U.S. President Donald Trump, has ordered a review of agreements between Tegucigalpa and Beijing. This has fueled expectations that Honduras will distance itself from China, in line with a Trump administration campaign to reduce Chinese influence and economic clout in Latin America.

Last week, Lai visited Eswatini, Taipei’s last remaining diplomatic partner in Africa, after being forced to postpone the trip when several countries withdrew permission for him to fly over their territories reportedly over Chinese pressure.

China neither confirmed nor denied the allegations but instead expressed “high appreciation” for the countries’ adherence to the so-called “one China principle,” referring to Beijing’s claims over Taiwan.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when the Communist Party rose to power in Beijing following a civil war. Defeated Nationalist Party forces fled to Taiwan, which later transitioned from martial law to a multiparty democracy.

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Leung reported from Hong Kong