President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Tuesday arrived in Paraguay, where she and Paraguayan president-elect Mario Abdo Benitez agreed to further expand cooperation.
Tsai and Abdo Benitez agreed to focus on investment, infrastructure and trade as the focus of future relations, Hugo Saguier, a foreign affairs advisor to Abdo Benitez, said following the one-hour meeting.
Saguier, who attended the meeting, said that details of ventures between the two nations would be made public when Abdo Benitez visits Taiwan in October.
Photo courtesy of the Presidential Office
“After the meeting, we reconfirmed relations between the two nations,” Saguier said. “We will continue to maintain relations with Taiwan as the two nations share the same diplomatic values, which is irreplaceable to Paraguay.”
Under the framework, Taiwanese firms would be encouraged to invest in education, medical care and technology infrastructure projects in Paraguay to boost economic development and residents’ livelihoods, Ambassador to Paraguay Diego Chou (周麟) said.
Three government-funded investment firms would be started by Taiwan to offer Paraguay assistance on agriculture, technology and development projects through the provision of low-interest loans, said National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥), who also attended the meeting.
Abdo Benitez promised to advance ties between the two nations in the hope that Paraguay might serve as a hub for Taiwanese manufacturers considering moving into the South American market, Tsai Ming-yen said.
Earlier on Tuesday, Tsai Ing-wen met Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes and gave a keynote speech at the opening of a course for students likely to study at a technology university jointly founded by the two nations, which has yet to officially open.
Tsai encouraged the students to apply to vocational training scholarship programs in Taiwan.
“Taiwan is Paraguay’s best friend,” she said. “We are glad to share our experience with you and contribute to a better future for Paraguay.”
Taiwan and Paraguay in December last year agreed to found the university to train engineers. Paraguay funded the construction, while Taiwan has provided teachers, curriculum plans and lab equipment.
Tsai Ing-wen invited Abdo Benitez to visit Taiwan in October and attend the Double Ten National Day celebrations, Tsai Ming-yen said, adding that the two sides would further discuss cooperative ventures in Taipei.
Later on Tuesday, Tsai Ing-wen attended a banquet with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales, where they exchanged views on possible cooperative projects between the two nations.
Yesterday, she was to attend the inauguration of Abdo Benitez before heading to Belize for a three-day visit, during which she is to be decorated by Governor-General Colville Young and meet with Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow.
Asked about Tsai Ing-wen’s public address during her Monday stopover in Los Angeles, US Department of State spokeswoman Heather Nauert on Tuesday said: “Our policy on Taiwan has not changed. The United States remains committed to our US ‘one China’ policy based on the Three Joint Communiques under the Taiwan Relations Act.”
“The United States, in regard to this trip, facilitates from time to time representatives of the Taiwan authorities to transit the United States. Those are largely undertaken out of consideration for the safety and comfort of those travelers and that is in keeping with our ‘one China’ policy,” she said
Nauert declined to say whether the US government would be happy for Tsai Ing-wen to speak in Washington during a stopover.
CHAOS: Iranians took to the streets playing celebratory music after reports of Khamenei’s death on Saturday, while mourners also gathered in Tehran yesterday Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was killed in a major attack on Iran launched by Israel and the US, throwing the future of the Islamic republic into doubt and raising the risk of regional instability. Iranian state television and the state-run IRNA news agency announced the 86-year-old’s death early yesterday. US President Donald Trump said it gave Iranians their “greatest chance” to “take back” their country. The announcements came after a joint US and Israeli aerial bombardment that targeted Iranian military and governmental sites. Trump said the “heavy and pinpoint bombing” would continue through the week or as long
An Emirates flight from Dubai arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport yesterday afternoon, the first service of the airline since the US and Israel launched strikes against Iran on Saturday. Flight EK366 took off from the United Arab Emirates (UAE) at 3:51am yesterday and landed at 4:02pm before taxiing to the airport’s D6 gate at Terminal 2 at 4:08pm, data from the airport and FlightAware, a global flight tracking site, showed. Of the 501 passengers on the flight, 275 were Taiwanese, including 96 group tour travelers, the data showed. Tourism Administration Deputy Director-General Huang He-ting (黃荷婷) greeted Taiwanese passengers at the airport and
State-run CPC Corp, Taiwan (CPC, 台灣中油) yesterday said that it had confirmed on Saturday night with its liquefied natural gas (LNG) and crude oil suppliers that shipments are proceeding as scheduled and that domestic supplies remain unaffected. The CPC yesterday announced the gasoline and diesel prices will rise by NT$0.2 and NT$0.4 per liter, respectively, starting Monday, citing Middle East tensions and blizzards in the eastern United States. CPC also iterated it has been reducing the proportion of crude oil imports from the Middle East and diversifying its supply sources in the past few years in response to geopolitical risks, expanding
STRAIT OF HORMUZ: In the case of a prolonged blockade by Iran, Taiwan would look to sources of LNG outside the Middle East, including Australia and the US Taiwan would not have to ration power due to a shortage of natural gas, Minister of Economic Affairs Kung Ming-hsin (龔明鑫) said yesterday, after reports that the Strait of Hormuz was closed amid the conflict in the Middle East. The government has secured liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplies for this month and contingency measures are in place if the conflict extends into next month, Kung told lawmakers. Saying that 25 percent of Taiwan’s natural gas supplies are from Qatar, Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) caucus secretary-general Lin Pei-hsiang (林沛祥) asked about the situation in light of the conflict. There would be “no problems” with
RSS