Lately, 4 international locations in Latin America – Honduras, Panama, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador – lower ties with Taiwan in favour of Beijing, whose one-China precept forces international locations to decide on between having full diplomatic relations with China or Taiwan.
From the halls of the futuristic Congress constructing in Asunción that Taiwan helped fund, Xu careworn Beijing’s curiosity in establishing relations with Paraguay, however stated the onus was on officers in Paraguay to make the primary transfer.
“It’s both China or Taiwan,” he stated. “I like to recommend that the federal government of Paraguay make an accurate determination as quickly as attainable.”
Addressing lawmakers, Xu dangled the prospect of expanded commerce with Beijing amongst “hundreds of different benefits”. Some members of the Paraguayan Congress, citing farmers’ struggles to export soybeans and beef to China, have argued that the nation stands to profit from a diplomatic flip in the long term.
China’s commerce with South America has grown exponentially lately, reaching practically US$500 billion as of 2023, based on knowledge from the Financial Fee for Latin America and the Caribbean.
On Wednesday, the Taiwanese Embassy in Paraguay lashed out at China on social media platform X, calling Xu an “infiltrator” who seeks “to undermine the agency friendship between Paraguay and Taiwan” that dates again to 1957.
