China ramps up rhetoric to attack Paraguay president's Taiwan visit

BEIJING — China on Tuesday intensified its criticism of Paraguayan President Santiago Peña following his recent visit to Taiwan, accusing him and other Paraguayan officials of being “pawns of separatist forces” and acting with “ulterior motives” in maintaining ties with Taipei.

Paraguay is one of only 12 countries that still maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. During his visit last week, Peña reaffirmed Paraguay’s relationship with Taiwan, describing it in talks with President Lai Ching-te as being rooted in shared values of freedom and democracy.

However, diplomatic ties with Taiwan — which China considers part of its territory — have become increasingly controversial in Paraguay. Some lawmakers and business leaders in the South American country have argued that the relationship has delivered limited economic benefits and that establishing formal relations with Beijing could offer greater opportunities.

Following an earlier call from Beijing urging Paraguay to break ties with Taiwan and “be on the right side of history,” China’s foreign ministry issued even stronger remarks on Tuesday.

Foreign ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun said opinion polls in Paraguay indicated that more than 90% of respondents supported establishing diplomatic relations with China, although he did not specify the sources or timing of the surveys.

“This fully demonstrates that wallowing in the mire with the Taiwan authorities is deeply unpopular,” Guo said.

He added that “certain Paraguayan politicians not only turn a deaf ear to this sentiment but also brazenly visit Taiwan at the risk of universal condemnation, publicly showing support for the likes of Lai Ching-te, and willingly serving as pawns of Taiwan independence separatist forces.”

Guo further questioned whether such actions reflect the interests of the Paraguayan people or are driven by “ulterior motives.”

Paraguay’s foreign ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment sent outside of office hours.

China maintains that Taiwan is a breakaway province with no right to statehood, a position firmly rejected by Taiwan’s government, which insists it is a sovereign state.

-Reporting by Beijing newsroom; Writing by Ben Blanchard; Editing by Kate Mayberry/Reuters