Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez yesterday denied that his country might switch recognition to Beijing after it holds elections in April, saying that severing diplomatic relations with Taiwan would be a “historic mistake.”
Abdo Benitez, who cannot run for re-election under the Paraguayan constitution, said he hopes his successor’s administration would not commit such an error.
Speaking at a news conference during a five-day visit to Taipei, Abdo Benitez said he believes that no matter who succeeds him, the election would not affect Paraguay’s more than 65-year friendship with Taiwan.
Photo: CNA
Paraguay is one of 14 countries that have formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
PRO-CHINA CANDIDATE
Former Paraguayan minister of public works and communications Efrain Alegre, the candidate of the Authentic Radical Liberal Party, has said that if he wins, Paraguay would switch recognition to Beijing, as it would boost economically important soy and beef exports.
Abdo Benitez said his country has never had diplomatic ties with the People’s Republic of China, adding that its Taiwan ties are not a major issue ahead of the election.
Statements candidates make on the campaign trail would not necessarily correspond with their policies after taking office, Abdo Benitez added.
“Nobody is going to dare to go ahead with a process of diplomatic rupture with the Republic of China, Taiwan,” he said, referring to Taiwan’s official name. “We are brotherly peoples, and we have a destiny together.”
Former Paraguayan minister of finance Santiago Pena, the candidate of Abdo’s Colorado Party, has said Paraguay’s relations with Taiwan would remain intact if he wins the election.
Paraguay’s Taiwan ties have been under pressure in the past few years, especially from the country’s beef producers and farmers, who see the relationship as an obstacle to gaining access to China, the world’s largest market for their products.
China targeting Taiwan’s allies has taken on broader geopolitical significance amid US concerns about Beijing expanding its influence in Latin America and the Caribbean, where many of Taipei’s diplomatic allies are located.
FREEDOM OF NAVIGATION: The UK would continue to reinforce ties with Taiwan ‘in a wide range of areas’ as a part of a ‘strong unofficial relationship,’ a paper said The UK plans to conduct more freedom of navigation operations in the Taiwan Strait and the South China Sea, British Secretary of State for Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Affairs David Lammy told the British House of Commons on Tuesday. British Member of Parliament Desmond Swayne said that the Royal Navy’s HMS Spey had passed through the Taiwan Strait “in pursuit of vital international freedom of navigation in the South China Sea.” Swayne asked Lammy whether he agreed that it was “proper and lawful” to do so, and if the UK would continue to carry out similar operations. Lammy replied “yes” to both questions. The
‘OF COURSE A COUNTRY’: The president outlined that Taiwan has all the necessary features of a nation, including citizens, land, government and sovereignty President William Lai (賴清德) discussed the meaning of “nation” during a speech in New Taipei City last night, emphasizing that Taiwan is a country as he condemned China’s misinterpretation of UN Resolution 2758. The speech was the first in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. It is the responsibility of Taiwanese citizens to stand united to defend their national sovereignty, democracy, liberty, way of life and the future of the next generation, Lai said. This is the most important legacy the people of this era could pass on to future generations, he said. Lai went on to discuss
SECOND SPEECH: All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist the CCP, despite their differences, the president said President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday discussed how pro-Taiwan and pro-Republic of China (ROC) groups can agree to maintain solidarity on the issue of protecting Taiwan and resisting the Chinese Communist Party (CCP). The talk, delivered last night at Taoyuan’s Hakka Youth Association, was the second in a series of 10 that Lai is scheduled to give across Taiwan. Citing Taiwanese democracy pioneer Chiang Wei-shui’s (蔣渭水) slogan that solidarity brings strength, Lai said it was a call for political parties to find consensus amid disagreements on behalf of bettering the nation. All political parties should work together to defend democracy, protect Taiwan and resist
By refusing to agree spending increases to appease US President Donald Trump, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez threatened to derail a summit that NATO Secretary-General Mark Rutte needs to run smoothly for the sake of the military alliance’s future survival. Ahead of yesterday’s gathering in The Hague, Netherlands, things were going off the rails. European officials have expressed irritation at the spoiler role that Sanchez is playing when their No. 1 task is to line up behind a pledge to raise defense spending to 5 percent of GDP. Rutte needed to keep Spain in line while preventing others such as Slovakia