Paraguay’s president-elect recommits to ties as Taiwan’s last ally in South America

By SIMINA MISTREANU

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Paraguay’s president-elect, Santiago Pena, has committed to maintaining diplomatic ties with Taiwan, going against a trend of Taipei’s diplomatic allies switching their allegiance to China. Pena, on Wednesday, during a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen affirmed “our commitment as Paraguayans to stand with the people of Taiwan for the next five years.” Paraguay is one of only 13 countries in the world – and the last remaining in South America – that recognize Taiwan as a country and do not have diplomatic relations with China. Beijing, which considers self-governed Taiwan a breakaway province, prohibits its diplomatic partners from having formal ties with Taipei.