Taiwan accuses China of snatching its alliance with Paraguay ahead of the presidential elections

Photo: Taiwan-China.png By: Garoth Ursuul. Source: WikiCommons.

The Taiwanese Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Alexander Yui, stated that China is doing everything possible to “snatch” Paraguay away from Taiwan in light of the upcoming general elections scheduled for April 30th. During a parliamentary hearing, the official expressed, “It is a fact that China has been openly courting candidates from all parties,” as quoted by the official agency CNA. He insisted that regardless of the election results, Taiwan is willing to continue working with the new government.

The issue surrounding the Paraguayan campaign revolves around the criticism of opposition candidate Efraín Alegre regarding Asunción’s relations with Taipei and the possibility of establishing ties with Beijing. This position contrasts with the policy of recognizing Taiwan that the presidential candidate from the ruling party, Santiago Peña, promises to maintain. In fact, Fernando Masi, a sociologist and economist who heads the Center for Analysis and Dissemination of the Paraguayan Economy (Cadep), affirmed, “It is no longer just an ideological issue, but a fundamentally economic one.”  

Top headline:

BBC News Mundo. Lissardy, G. (2023, 27 de abril). Elecciones en Paraguay: ¿Taiwán o China? El “dilema exterior” que sobrevuela los comicios generales del país sudamericano.

Find out more:

Última Hora. (2023, 10 de abril). Taiwán acusa a China de querer arrebatar la alianza con Paraguay.