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Taiwan
ChinaDiplomacy

Paraguay says ‘excellent’ Taiwan ties do not depend on new investment

  • The country’s foreign ministry said it was not seeking a ‘quid pro quo’ to maintain its diplomatic relationship with Taipei
  • President Mario Abdo Benitez is reported to have asked for US$1 billion investment

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Paraguay’s President Mario Abdo Benitez has faced calls to boost trade with mainland China. Photo: Reuters
Reuters
Paraguay’s foreign ministry said on Thursday that the South American country’s diplomatic ties with Taiwan were “excellent” and not conditional on extra investment, amid rising pressure from China to win over the island’s few remaining allies.
Paraguay is one of only 14 nations globally that retains diplomatic ties with Taiwan and the only South American country to do so. China has convinced a number of the island’s allies to shift allegiance in recent years, the last being Nicaragua in December.

This week the Financial Times reported that Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez had said the country was seeking US$1 billion in investment from Taiwan to maintain ties. Abdo is under pressure from soy and cattle farmers who want access to China.

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The foreign ministry said that while the president had encouraged more investment, there was no “quid pro quo” and Paraguay maintained “excellent diplomatic, political and friendly ties” with Taiwan, a relationship that goes back over six decades.

“At no time during the interview did the president refer to conditioning the relationship with Taiwan, much less subjecting it to some amount,” the ministry said in a statement.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou said in a press conference on Thursday that officials from the two sides had talked to “clear things up” and reiterated that there were no strings attached to the relationship.

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