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China trying to snatch away Paraguay as presidential election nears: MOFA

ROC Central News Agency

04/10/2023 12:49 PM

Taipei, April 10 (CNA) Vice Foreign Minister Alexander Yui (俞大㵢) on Monday said China has been doing its best to try to snatch away Paraguay, Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in South America.

In response, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) has been keeping close tabs on all political parties in Paraguay to try to maintain relations, he added.

Yui made the remarks during a legislative hearing when asked by opposition Kuomintang lawmaker Johnny Chiang (江啟臣) to comment on a Reuters report published last week that Taiwan could lose Paraguay to China if the South American country's opposition wins the April 30 elections and makes good on its promise to embrace Beijing.

U.S. policymakers and independent analysts told Reuters that the Joe Biden administration has limited options for halting the gradual drift toward China, with some saying Taiwan itself appeared resigned to losing more allies in the Americas, according to Reuters' report.

The Republic of China, the official name of Taiwan, lost Honduras to Beijing late last month. It now only has 13 diplomatic allies worldwide.

Efrain Alegre, the leading presidential candidate of a broad coalition in Paraguay seeking to defeat the conservative ruling Colorado Party, told the media in January that he would cut diplomatic ties with Taiwan and recognize China if he wins.

Asked by Chiang to comment on whether MOFA has prepared for the worst, given Alegre's stated plans, Yui did not give a direct answer.

Yui, however, admitted that "it is a fact that China has obviously been wooing candidates of all camps [in Paraguay]."

However, Yui said Alegre later also lauded Paraguay and Taiwan's cordial ties and indicated that once he wins the election, he will engage in in-depth talks with Taiwan on how to further deepen bilateral relations.

Yui reiterated the stance of Taiwan's government that it is willing to continue to work closely with the new Paraguay government elected by Paraguayan people no matter which candidate wins the April 30 race.

The latest polling data from Paraguay released last Wednesday showed that if the country held a presidential election now, the candidate campaigning on switching diplomatic ties from Taiwan to China would win.

Alegre had the support of 38.1 percent of the people polled, while Santiago Pena of the ruling Colorado Party had 36.4 percent, according to Atlas Intelligence data. Pena has pledged to keep intact Paraguay's over six decades of ties with Taiwan if he won the April 30 vote.

(By Joseph Yeh)

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