In Paraguay’s election, Taiwan’s diplomatic recognition may be on the ballot
- A tight presidential race includes an opposition candidate who says he will switch Paraguay’s ties to China. The country is Taiwan’s last ally in South America
- While a switch may be mostly symbolic for Taiwan and China, advocates for the move argue otherwise for Paraguay, touting its potentially significant economic gains
When voters in Paraguay go to the polls on Sunday, one issue hanging in the balance is whether the small South American nation will continue to recognise Taiwan diplomatically or switch to mainland China.
That’s because the ruling Colorado Party and its presidential candidate Santiago Pena – who has pledged to maintain the status quo – face a strong challenge from the opposing Authentic Radical Liberty Party and its leader Efrain Alegre.
Alegre has pledged that, should he win, he will forge formal relations with Beijing. Polls show the race as a toss-up.
Paraguay, a landlocked nation of 6.7 million in the central part of South America, is Taiwan’s last ally on the continent, and the largest economy of the 13 countries that still recognise Taiwan.
Even if diplomatic recognition is switched, though, some analysts contend that the move might merely be symbolic.
“Taiwan’s formal diplomatic relationships are not the most important relationships,” argued Lev Nachman, an assistant professor at National Chengchi University in Taipei. “It’s the informal relationships” – like the one with the United States – “that matter most,” he says.