Paraguay Reaffirms Taiwan Ties as Beijing Presses Asunción to Switch Recognition

Standing outside the presidential office in Taipei on Friday, Paraguay's President Santiago Pena told reporters, through an interpreter, that his country "highly values the relationship" with Taiwan. He spoke at a military honours ceremony, and the timing gave his words weight: a day earlier, Beijing had publicly asked Paraguay to cut its diplomatic ties with the island.

Paraguay is the only country in South America that recognises Taiwan, and one of just 12 worldwide. Beijing claims Taiwan as its own territory. Over the past few years it has stepped up a campaign to win away Taipei's remaining diplomatic allies, while also increasing military pressure around the island.

The request came from Chinese foreign ministry spokesperson Lin Jian. On Thursday he urged Paraguayan authorities to "come to the right side of history as soon as possible." He called the one-China principle a basic norm of international relations and said 183 countries have formed diplomatic ties with China. On Friday, at a press briefing in Beijing, he repeated the call.

Pena was in the middle of a four-day visit to Taiwan, which began Thursday. At the ceremony he said the event symbolised both sides' determination to keep deepening their ties and partnership. He said that, built on shared values of democracy, freedom and human rights, Paraguay would keep supporting Taiwan and promote a bilateral strategic partnership.

In his bilateral meeting with Taiwan's President Lai Ching-te, Pena went further. He said Paraguay solemnly called on the international community to recognise that Taiwan's people should have the right to make their own decisions, on principles of democracy and fairness. Excluding Taiwan from the United Nations system, he said, is not only unfair but also undermines the legitimacy of the UN as the most representative organisation of democratic countries.

Lai thanked Pena and the Paraguayan government for speaking up for Taiwan and for firmly backing its international participation. He said he believed the friendship would deepen and cooperation grow closer through Pena's visit. The two leaders presided over the signing of several bilateral agreements, among them a memorandum of understanding on investment in an artificial intelligence computing centre.

Pena also spoke to Taiwan's Central News Agency about a recent encounter with Honduran President Nasry Asfura, whom he met on the sidelines of an event before flying to Taiwan. They did not directly discuss whether Honduras might restore ties with the island, Pena said, but he told Asfura that Paraguay has a great relationship with Taiwan. Honduras established diplomatic relations with China in 2023, after breaking with Taipei. Asfura, elected with the backing of US President Donald Trump, has ordered a review of agreements between Tegucigalpa and Beijing. That has fed expectations that Honduras will distance itself from China, in line with a Trump administration push to reduce Chinese influence and economic clout in Latin America. Lin said China-Honduras cooperation is not aimed at any third party and should not be interfered with.

The visit follows a difficult stretch for Taipei. Last week Lai travelled to Eswatini, Taiwan's last diplomatic partner in Africa, after having to postpone the trip when several countries withdrew permission for him to fly over their territory, reportedly because of Chinese pressure. China neither confirmed nor denied that, but expressed "high appreciation" for those countries' adherence to the one-China principle.

China and Taiwan have been governed separately since 1949, when the Communist Party took power in Beijing after a civil war and the defeated Nationalist forces fled to Taiwan. The island later moved from martial law to multiparty democracy. What to watch now is whether Honduras moves toward restoring ties with Taipei, and whether Beijing escalates its pressure on the allies Taiwan has left.