Paraguay kicks out a visiting Chinese envoy for urging its lawmakers to turn their backs on Taiwan

In recent years, four countries in Latin America – Honduras, Panama, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador – cut ties with Taiwan in favour of Beijing, whose one-China principle forces countries to choose between having full diplomatic relations with China or Taiwan.

From the halls of the futuristic Congress building in Asuncion that Taiwan helped fund, Xu stressed Beijing’s interest in establishing relations with Paraguay, but said the onus was on officials in Paraguay to make the first move.

“It is either China or Taiwan,” he said. “I recommend that the government of Paraguay make a correct decision as soon as possible.”

Addressing lawmakers, Xu dangled the prospect of expanded trade with Beijing among “thousands of other advantages”. Some members of the Paraguayan Congress, citing farmers’ struggles to export soybeans and beef to China, have argued that the nation stands to benefit from a diplomatic flip in the long run.

China’s trade with South America has grown exponentially in recent years, reaching nearly US$500 billion as of 2023, according to data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

On Wednesday, the Taiwanese Embassy in Paraguay lashed out at China on social media platform X, calling Xu an “infiltrator” who seeks “to undermine the firm friendship between Paraguay and Taiwan” that dates back to 1957.