Government officials said yesterday they hoped Paraguay would not sacrifice its 51 years of friendship with Taiwan after the country’s president-elect vowed to establish formal ties with Beijing as soon as he assumes office in August.“We will closely monitor ties, but hope that Paraguay would not sacrifice a 51-year friendship for the sake of befriending other countries,” said Simon Ko (柯森耀), director-general of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs’ Department of Central and South American Affairs.
The Paraguayan president-elect, Fernando Lugo, often called the “bishop of the poor,” won by a landslide in Sunday’s election.
As part of his campaign gambit, the former Roman Catholic clergyman, of the Patriotic Alliance for Change Party, hinted he would forge official relations with Beijing if elected by saying Asuncion was open to friendship with all countries in the world without interference from other countries.
CLEAR STATEMENT
Yesterday Lugo made a clear statement for the first time that Paraguay will establish diplomatic relations with China to boost foreign investment and trade.
“If other nations have trade and diplomatic relations with continental China, why should we stay behind?” he was quoted as saying.
Paraguay is Taiwan’s only South American ally. Taiwan is one of Asuncion’s biggest donors and the two countries signed a free-trade agreement last year that went into effect last month.
MOFA Spokeswoman Phoebe Yeh (葉非比) said that ties with Paraguay remained strong, but added that the ministry would be on high alert for signs of a break. She said Lugo had not commented on the future of Paraguay’s ties with Taiwan.
AMBASSADOR
Yeh said during the campaign that Ambassador David Hu (胡正堯) had paid Lugo a visit to exchange views on bilateral relations.
In an interview with the Central News Agency, Hu said that he had told Lugo that Taiwan has nothing against Paraguay establishing diplomatic ties with Beijing, as long as Taiwan is not sidelined in the process.
Ko went a step further by saying that Taiwan recognizes the right of all of its allies to establish relations with whomever they wish to do so. Establishing ties with another country should not, however, disparage Taiwan’s sovereignty, he said.
“Taiwan has no right to prohibit its allies from making friends because we are willing to accept dual recognition. It is Beijing that forces nations to adopt the ‘one-China policy’ and choose between Taiwan and China,” he said.
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