Paraguay president-elect says will strengthen ties with Taiwan

Relations with the island loomed ahead of the election, after other countries in Latin America decided to cut ties.

Paraguay’s president-elect Santiago Peña has said he will continue to strengthen ties with Taiwan after a bloody campaign that cast doubt on relations with the self-governing island.

The statement, which followed a congratulatory speech from Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, indicated that Paraguay would not go the way of other Latin American countries in cutting formal ties with Taiwan to establish relations with China, which considers the island as its territory.

“We will continue to strengthen the historic ties between Paraguay and the Republic of China [Taiwan]and look forward to working on collaborative projects that are mutually beneficial,” Peña said on Twitter.

Tsai, meanwhile, congratulated Peña and thanked him for “expressing his firm stance to preserve and strengthen relations between Taiwan and Paraguay,” her office said in a statement.

Peña told Tsai he looks forward to visiting the island and meeting her “as soon as possible,” the office said.

Since the end of the Chinese Civil War in 1949, Taiwan has been a self-governing island, but Beijing has never acknowledged its sovereignty, instead advocating “one China”.

Only 13 countries currently maintain official diplomatic ties with the island, although many Western countries have continued to support Taiwan through trade and informal relations.

Latin America has seen a marked island shift in recent years, with Honduras becoming the latest country to cut ties by acknowledging “the existence of only one China in the world” in March.

Honduras followed Panama, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic and Nicaragua, countries that have also cut ties with the island in favor of China in recent years. Taipei officials have accused China of using “coercion and intimidation” to motivate the changes, which Beijing has denied.

Ahead of Paraguay’s vote, opposition candidate Efraín Alegre had also said he would try to bring his country closer to China to strengthen ties with agriculture.

In early April, Tsai visited Guatemala and Belize in Central America for a reassurance trip. Leaders of both countries confirmed their ties to the island during the visit.

Paraguay is currently the only country in South America that still recognizes Taiwan.