Visiting Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez told a press conference Saturday that it would be a “historic mistake” for his successor to sever ties with Taiwan in favor of forming diplomatic relations with China.
Abdo, who will end his five-year tenure in August, was wrapping up his five-day visit to Taiwan — his second official trip to the island nation since taking office in 2018 — with the press conference before departing from Taiwan on Saturday night.
He said it would be a “historic mistake” for his replacement as Paraguayan president to cut formal ties with Taiwan in order to establish diplomatic relations with China.
Such a shift would undermine Paraguay’s national interests and mar the decadeslong cooperative relationship built between the South American nation and Taiwan, which established diplomatic relations in 1957, Abdo said.
Paraguay is one of only 14 states to maintain diplomatic relations with the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name.
According to Abdo, in the last five years, there has been no contact between his government and Beijing, which makes the nonrecognition of Taipei a prerequisite for forming official ties.
The Paraguayan leader said that his country was focused instead on deepening its “strategic partnership” with Taiwan.
Trade and economic cooperation between the two countries have flourished during his administration on a reciprocal basis, Abdo said.
While Taiwanese companies have used Paraguay as an entry when expanding to South American markets, Paraguay has increased its exports of agricultural and food products to Taiwan, Abdo said.
Imports of Paraguayan beef products to Taiwan surged from US$35 million in 2018 to US$240 million in 2022, Abdo said, adding that he looked forward to seeing Taiwan greenlight poultry imports as it did with certain pork products in 2022.
In addition, Abdo said that the two allies have in recent years worked on joint projects to improve Paraguay’s public health system and develop electric vehicle technology in the South American nation.
With Paraguay set to elect a new president on April 30, candidates have reportedly commented on their country’s relations with Taiwan.
Santiago Pena, the ruling Colorado Party’s candidate, has told the media that Paraguay would maintain its ties with Taiwan if he is elected.
However, Pena’s opponent Efrain Alegre, the candidate of a broad opposition coalition, pledged to switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing in an attempt to expand the country’s exports to China.
Alegre lost the presidential election in 2018 to Abdo by a narrow margin.
While the Colorado Party continues to dominate Paraguayan politics since winning office in 2013, it has also been stalked by allegations of corruption.
Commenting on the upcoming election, Abdo said he did not think the result would affect the bilateral relations between Taiwan and Paraguay.
According to him, it is reasonable for candidates to use different “political language” during their election campaigns, but that does not mean they will eventually follow through with what they have pledged to do if they take power.
Any politician who has reflected on the relationship between Taiwan and Paraguay and the potential to further cement such ties would not consider severing diplomatic relations, Abdo said.
Abdo arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday with a Paraguayan delegation that includes First Lady Silvana Lopez Moreira, Foreign Minister Julio Cesar Arriola Ramirez, and Minister of Industry and Commerce Luis Alberto Castiglioni.
Over the past few days, the delegation has met with President Tsai Ing-wen (???), Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (???), as well as representatives of business groups in Taiwan.
On Friday, Abdo joined Tsai on a visit to an Air Force base in the eastern Taiwanese county of Hualien, with both officials expressing hope that their countries could further engage in military exchanges, according to a press statement by the Presidential Office.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel