Paraguay–Taiwan Relations
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The
Republic of Paraguay Paraguay, officially the Republic of Paraguay, is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. It has a population of around 6 ...
and the
Republic of China (Taiwan) Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
established diplomatic relations on 8 July 1957. Paraguay does not conform to the
One China policy ''One China'' is a phrase describing the relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) based on mainland China, and the Republic of China (ROC) based on the Taiwan Area. "One China" asserts that there is only one ''de jure'' C ...
and is one of the 12 countries in the world (and the only one in
South America South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
) that recognized the ROC as the sole legitimate government of "
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
". Paraguay has had an embassy in
Taipei , nickname = The City of Azaleas , image_map = , map_caption = , pushpin_map = Taiwan#Asia#Pacific Ocean#Earth , coordinates = , subdivision_type = Country ...
since 1999. Taiwan has an embassy in
Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...
and a Consulate-General in
Ciudad del Este Ciudad del Este (, Spanish for Eastern City; often shortened as CDE) is the second-largest city in Paraguay and capital of the Alto Paraná Department, situated on the Paraná River. It is located 327 km east of Asunción, the capital, and i ...
. The two are
antipodes In geography, the antipode () of any spot on Earth is the point on Earth's surface diametrically opposite to it. A pair of points ''antipodal'' () to each other are situated such that a straight line connecting the two would pass through Ea ...
of each other. The ROC is the second state in Asia (after
Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...
) to have diplomatic relations with Paraguay. In public media, the relationship between the two countries has been described as a historic friendship. Paraguay's relationship with Taiwan endured principally because of donations and loans; this method is criticized by governmental leaders for suspected corruption.


History

The governments of Paraguay and the Republic of China established diplomatic relations on July 8, 1957, as the sole legal government of
China China, officially the People's Republic of China (PRC), is a country in East Asia. With population of China, a population exceeding 1.4 billion, it is the list of countries by population (United Nations), second-most populous country after ...
. Over the following decades, the two governments signed the Cultural Convention (1961), Treaty of Friendship (1968), and Conventions of Tourism and Investments (1975).Relaciones de la República de China (Taiwán) y la República del Paraguay
(Relations of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Republic of Paraguay) (At the official site of the R.O.C. Embassy in Paraguay)
DIPLOMATIC RELATIONS WITH THE REPUBLIC OF CHINA (TAIWAN)>BILATERAL AGREEMENTS
(Embassy of Paraguay in the Republic of China)
When Paraguay and Taiwan began relations,
Alfredo Stroessner Alfredo Stroessner Matiauda (; 3 November 1912 – 16 August 2006) was a Paraguayan politician, army general and Military dictatorship, military dictator who ruled as the 42nd president of Paraguay from 15 August 1954 until his overthrow in 19 ...
ordered the construction of a statue of Taiwanese leader Chiang Kai-Shek as a showing of friendship. The partnership between the anti-communist governments of General Alfredo Stroessner and Generalissimo Chiang Kai-shek was quite natural. Many Paraguayan officers went for training in
Fu Hsing Kang College The Political Warfare College (), also known as Fu Hsing Kang College (復興崗, "Renaissance Hill"), is a military academy in Beitou District, Taipei, Taiwan. During the Japanese occupation period, this location was the racetrack of Beitou; af ...
in Taiwan. The ouster of Stroessner in 1989, and his successor
Andrés Rodríguez Andrés Rodríguez may refer to: *Andrés Rodríguez (politician) (1923–1997), president of Paraguay *Andrés Rodríguez (basketball) (born 1981), basketball player from Puerto Rico *Andres Rodriguez (show jumper) (1984–2016), Venezuelan showju ...
's reinventing himself as a democratically elected president, were immediately followed by invitations from the People's Republic of China to switch diplomatic recognition.Marks, p. 301 However, the experienced general and politician Wang Sheng who happened to serve as Taiwan's ambassador at the time, and his diplomatic staff, were able to convince the Paraguayans that continuing the relationship with ROC, and thus keeping Taiwan's development assistance and access to Taiwan's markets, would be more advantageous for Paraguay. As the ROC Commercial Attaché at
Asunción Asunción (, ) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay. The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of Asunción in the north ...
, Tseng Cheng-te, explained later, "I tried constantly to figure out what we could buy from them. It was very difficult, because they have nothing to offer".


1990s

Taiwan (ROC) provided assistance to Paraguay on a number of economic development projects throughout the 1990s, and has extended large loans to Paraguay; as of early 2009, Taiwan's government was offering payment deferral on a $400 million outstanding loan. The bilateral relationship has been increasingly affected by China's economic growth and its rigid approach to the
One China Policy ''One China'' is a phrase describing the relationship between the People's Republic of China (PRC) based on mainland China, and the Republic of China (ROC) based on the Taiwan Area. "One China" asserts that there is only one ''de jure'' C ...
. The People's Republic of China is a major buyer of Paraguay's major exports, especially soy and beef. It has also made large investments in those sectors, directly affecting the Paraguayan economy. This has led to increasingly prominent debates within Paraguay over recognition policy. "While commercial ties increase, China may be gaining other forms of leverage over Paraguay; pro-China rumblings surfaced in late 2019 largely from meat producers whose market can be curtailed through phytosanitary regulations."


2000s

Paraguay's
UN General Assembly The United Nations General Assembly (UNGA or GA; , AGNU or AG) is one of the six principal organs of the United Nations (UN), serving as its main deliberative, policymaking, and representative organ. Currently in its 79th session, its powers, ...
sessions for the return of the Republic of China into the United Nations' Organization. However, in the fall of 2008, the recently elected Paraguayan president
Fernando Lugo Fernando Armindo Lugo Méndez (; born 30 May 1951) is a Paraguayan politician and Loss of clerical state, laicized Bishops in the Catholic Church, Catholic bishop who was President of Paraguay from 2008 to 2012. Previously, he was a Roman Cath ...
(whose inauguration, just a few days previously, had been attended by Taiwan's
Ma Ying-jeou Ma Ying-jeou ( zh, t=馬英九; pinyin: ''Mǎ Yīngjiǔ''; ; born 13 July 1950) is a Taiwanese politician, lawyer, and legal scholar who served as the sixth president of the Republic of China from 2008 to 2016. A member of the Kuomintang (KMT ...
) announced that his country would not do so at the 63rd annuals session of the General Assembly.


2010s

In 2010, when Paraguay president Fernando Lugo planned to establish diplomatic relations with China, it meant that it had to break with Taiwan. Lugo already commented in 2008 that existed an intense commercial relation, even without a China Embassy in Paraguay. In 2010, this though lead to China not wishing to recognize Paraguay's relationship with Taiwan and leaving Paraguay to choose between one of the two countries. Under President
Mario Abdo Benítez Mario Abdo Benítez (; born 10 November 1971) is a Paraguayan politician who served as the 51st president of Paraguay from 2018 to 2023. He was previously a Senate of Paraguay, senator and served as List of presidents of the Senate of Paraguay, ...
, in office since August 2018, Paraguay has emphasized a pro-Taiwan policy while also seeking commercial opportunities with the PRC. "He has emphasized a desire to expand commercial relations with PRC, 'always respecting our historic friendship with Taiwan'." In 2018, Paraguay was the last
South American South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and mostly in the Southern Hemisphere, with a considerably smaller portion in the Northern Hemisphere. It can also be described as the southern Subregion#Americas, subregion o ...
country that still recognised Taiwan.


2020s

In May 2021, Paraguay was one of 15 countries that maintained diplomatic relations with Taiwan. In the 2020s, Taiwan helped Paraguay set up an artificial breeding operation for
pacu Pacu () is a common name used to refer to several species of omnivorous South American freshwater Serrasalmidae, serrasalmid fish related to piranhas. Pacu and piranha do not have similar teeth, the main difference being jaw alignment; piranha ...
. In January 2023, Efrain Alegre, presidential candidate for the
2023 Paraguayan general election General elections were held in Paraguay on 30 April 2023 to elect the president, vice president, National Congress, and departmental governors. The incumbent president Mario Abdo Benítez and vice president Hugo Velázquez Moreno, both of the ...
, told
Reuters Reuters ( ) is a news agency owned by Thomson Reuters. It employs around 2,500 journalists and 600 photojournalists in about 200 locations worldwide writing in 16 languages. Reuters is one of the largest news agencies in the world. The agency ...
that in case he wins the election in April, Paraguay would cut Taiwan ties and open relations with China, hoping to boost Paraguay's soy and beef exports. Incumbent
Santiago Peña Santiago Peña Palacios (; born 16 November 1978) is a Paraguayan politician and economist who is the 52nd and current president of Paraguay since 2023. In addition to his political career, Peña has served on leadership boards for the Central ...
won by a comfortable margin, reassuring the Taiwanese that their ongoing bilateral relations were not imperiled. In December 2024, Paraguay declared a Chinese envoy ''
persona non grata In diplomacy, a ' (PNG) is a foreign diplomat that is asked by the host country to be recalled to their home country. If the person is not recalled as requested, the host state may refuse to recognize the person concerned as a member of the diplo ...
'' for allegedly interfering in internal affairs in attempting to get Paraguay to break relations with Taiwan.


Free Trade Agreement

In 2004, Taiwan and Paraguay attempted to negotiate a
free trade agreement A free trade agreement (FTA) or treaty is an agreement according to international law to form a free-trade area between the cooperating state (polity), states. There are two types of trade agreements: Bilateralism, bilateral and Multilateralism, m ...
, but having to obtain approval from Paraguay's
MERCOSUR The Southern Common Market (commonly known by abbreviation ''Mercosur'' in Spanish and ''Mercosul'' in Portuguese) is a South American trade bloc established by the Treaty of Asunción in 1991 and Protocol of Ouro Preto in 1994. Its full me ...
's partners (none of which has diplomatic relations with Taiwan) made the process difficult. Since 27 February 2018, the free trade agreement has entered into effect.


Contestation within Paraguay

In recent years, the bilateral relationship has been the subject of growing contention in Paraguay. Long and Urdinez note that the PRC's growth increased Paraguay's opportunity costs, especially in the form of lost loans and investments from mainland China during the commodities boom. However, Taiwan continued to enjoy support from many Paraguayan policymakers. In response to arguments that recognizing the People's Republic was economically necessary, "Key Paraguayan elites have proactively pushed back against the idea that a change in recognition is inevitable or beneficial." On April 17, 2020, in the midst of the
COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...
, a group of Paraguayan senators advanced a bill to urge the president to shift Paraguay's recognition of China from Taipei to Beijing. The proposal was defeated 25–16. Proponents argued that the PRC would provide greater medical aid to Paraguay, something the ROC contested by increasing its own provision of assistance after declaring that they would suspend relations between the countries. The vote followed growing political pressure within Paraguay, especially from ranchers seeking greater access to the Chinese market for their beef exports.


High level visits


Visits from (after 1987/01)


Visits from (after 1987/01)


See also

*
Foreign relations of Paraguay Paraguayan foreign policy has concentrated on maintaining good relations with its neighbors, and it has been an active proponent of regional co-operation. It is a member of the United Nations and has served one term in the UN Security Council in 1 ...
*
Foreign relations of Taiwan Foreign relations of Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), are accomplished by efforts of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, a cabinet-level ministry of the central government. the ROC has formal diplomatic relations with 11 of th ...


References


External links


Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Relations about relations with Taiwan

Embassy of Taiwan in Asunción

Embassy of Paraguay in Taipei
{{DEFAULTSORT:Paraguay-Taiwan relations
Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia. The main geography of Taiwan, island of Taiwan, also known as ''Formosa'', lies between the East China Sea, East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocea ...
Bilateral relations of Taiwan