Paraguayan president-elect Santiago Pena is to visit Taiwan from tomorrow until Saturday, during which time the two allies are to celebrate the 66th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced yesterday.
The Paraguayan delegation would also include a number of the incoming government’s senior officials, including foreign minister-designate Ruben Ramirez Lezcano, incoming presidential chief secretary Lea Gimenez Duarte, finance minister-designate Carlos Fernandez Valdovinos and incoming industry and commerce minister Francisco Javier Gimenez Garcia de Zuniga, MOFA said in a news release.
During his five-day visit, Pena is to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President William Lai (賴清德), Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) and Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元), MOFA said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The delegates would visit National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and Taipei-based non-governmental organization World Vision Taiwan, as well as attend forums with local business representatives, it said.
Pena wrote on Twitter that he would visit Abu Dhabi, then travel to Taiwan to meet Tsai, who he described as a “great friend.”
“We are going to develop an intense international agenda in the coming days carrying the message that Paraguay and its people are up for great things,” he wrote.
Pena pledged during his election campaign to maintain Paraguay’s six decades of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, despite pressure from the local agricultural sector, which wants access to China’s soybean and beef markets.
Pena’s trip, ahead of his inauguration on Aug. 15, coincides with the 66th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on July 12, 1957, making the visit even more meaningful, MOFA said.
Pena, a 44-year-old economist and former finance minister, won 43 percent of the votes in Paraguay’s April 30 presidential race, defeating center-left rival Efrain Alegre, who had campaigned on a pledge to cut diplomatic relations with Taipei in favor of Beijing.
Pena’s victory eased fears that Taiwan would lose another ally.
The number of allies that maintain formal relations with Taiwan has dwindled to 13 in recent years, and Paraguay is the only country in South America to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
MOFA said that it plans to send representatives to attend Pena’s inauguration.
Diplomatic sources have told Reuters that Lai might attend as Taiwan’s representative, likely transiting through the US to meet US officials.
Additional reporting by Reuters
CALL FOR SUPPORT: President William Lai called on lawmakers across party lines to ensure the livelihood of Taiwanese and that national security is protected President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday called for bipartisan support for Taiwan’s investment in self-defense capabilities at the christening and launch of two coast guard vessels at CSBC Corp, Taiwan’s (台灣國際造船) shipyard in Kaohsiung. The Taipei (台北) is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels, and the Siraya (西拉雅) is the Coast Guard Administration’s (CGA) first-ever ocean patrol vessel, the government said. The Taipei is the fourth and final ship of the Chiayi-class offshore patrol vessels with a displacement of about 4,000 tonnes, Lai said. This ship class was ordered as a result of former president Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) 2018
UKRAINE, NVIDIA: The US leader said the subject of Russia’s war had come up ‘very strongly,’ while Jenson Huang was hoping that the conversation was good Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) and US President Donald Trump had differing takes following their meeting in Busan, South Korea, yesterday. Xi said that the two sides should complete follow-up work as soon as possible to deliver tangible results that would provide “peace of mind” to China, the US and the rest of the world, while Trump hailed the “great success” of the talks. The two discussed trade, including a deal to reduce tariffs slapped on China for its role in the fentanyl trade, as well as cooperation in ending the war in Ukraine, among other issues, but they did not mention
HOTEL HIRING: An official said that hoteliers could begin hiring migrant workers next year, but must adhere to a rule requiring a NT$2,000 salary hike for Taiwanese The government is to allow the hospitality industry to recruit mid-level migrant workers for housekeeping and three other lines of work after the Executive Yuan yesterday approved a proposal by the Ministry of Labor. A shortage of workers at hotels and accommodation facilities was discussed at a meeting of the legislature’s Transportation Committee. A 2023 survey conducted by the Tourism Administration found that Taiwan’s lodging industry was short of about 6,600 housekeeping and cleaning workers, the agency said in a report to the committee. The shortage of workers in the industry is being studied, the report said. Hotel and Lodging Division Deputy Director Cheng
‘SECRETS’: While saying China would not attack during his presidency, Donald Trump declined to say how Washington would respond if Beijing were to take military action US President Donald Trump said that China would not take military action against Taiwan while he is president, as the Chinese leaders “know the consequences.” Trump made the statement during an interview on CBS’ 60 Minutes program that aired on Sunday, a few days after his meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping (習近平) in South Korea. “He [Xi] has openly said, and his people have openly said at meetings, ‘we would never do anything while President Trump is president,’ because they know the consequences,” Trump said in the interview. However, he repeatedly declined to say exactly how Washington would respond in
RSS