Paraguay’s president calls Taiwan ‘a beacon of democracy’

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — The president of Paraguay, whose country is one of Taiwan’s few remaining diplomatic allies, showed his admiration for island democracy during a state visit to Taipei on Thursday.

Mario Abdo Benítez was received by a guard of honor and accompanied the president, Tsai Ing-wen, on a red carpet in front of the presidential palace. Abdo arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday for a five-day visit.

Taiwan is closely following the Paraguayan presidential elections scheduled for the end of April. The opposition candidate has said that if elected he will sever diplomatic ties with the island, according to local media. Under the constitution, Abdo is not eligible for re-election.

Since Tsai’s election in 2016, China has embarked on a lobbying campaign to woo the island’s diplomatic allies. China claims the autonomy of Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes any form of exchange between its government and that of other nations. Currently, Taipei has 14 diplomatic allies.

“I want to express my deepest and most sincere respect to the people of Taiwan for not giving up their courageous struggle for freedom and safeguarding their sovereignty,” Abdo said. “In the face of continued threats and the tense situation , the Taiwanese people have not given up their resolve for peace, continue to play the role of beacon of democracy in the region.

Abdo also thanked Taiwan for its help during the COVID-19 pandemic and said the Paraguayan economy suffered the least in Latin America thanks to this help.

Tsai did not refer to the possible loss of Paraguay as a diplomatic ally, and instead thanked Abdo for his visit and spoke of strengthening their economic cooperation.

“I want to thank President Abdo for supporting Taiwan’s participation in international forums on many occasions,” Tsai said in a speech ahead of a private meeting with the Paraguayan leader.

In December 2021, Taiwan lost Nicaragua as an ally after its president, Daniel Ortega, was re-elected in an election the United States claims was rigged. Nicaragua then announced that it would only officially recognize China.

In 2022, the alliance with the island or with Beijing also slipped into the electoral campaign of Honduras, another ally of Taipei. As a candidate, Xiomara Castro said she would change China’s diplomatic recognition if elected, but soon after she assumed the presidency, her government indicated there would be no change for the candidate. instant.

As part of the visit, Abdo met with Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and attended a women’s empowerment conference with Tsai.