China sanctions ministers of Belize, Paraguay over their countries' ties with Taiwan

BEIJING - China placed sanctions from Monday on Paraguay's communications minister as well as the foreign minister of Belize, over their countries' ties with Taiwan which Beijing claims as its own territory.

Paraguay and Belize are two of just 12 countries to maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. China says Taiwan is one of its provinces with no right to the trappings of a state, a view Taipei's government strongly rejects.

The sanctions are largely symbolic given ministers from Taiwan's diplomatic allies generally never travel to China. Such sanctions have previously mainly been applied to Western politicians for their support of democratically governed Taiwan.

Neither Paraguay's Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies nor Belize's foreign ministry immediately responded to requests for comment outside of regular office hours. Taiwan's foreign ministry had no immediate comment.

China's foreign ministry cited national sovereignty and security as reasons for the measures, saying some Belize and Paraguay politicians have been "anti-China" in pushing for their nations to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan.

The measures include barring entry visas to Hong Kong and Macau, and prohibition on Chinese organisations and individuals from engaging in transactions, cooperation or other activities, the ministry said in two notices.

Belize Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca met his Taiwan counterpart, Lin Chia-lung, in Belize last month. In June, Paraguay Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Gustavo Villate met Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi in Paraguay.

China has stepped up pressure on Taiwan's remaining diplomatic allies to sever ties with Taipei.

The last country to do so was the tiny Pacific Islands nation of Nauru, in 2024, while the previous year Honduras ended its decades-long ties with Taiwan.

(Reporting by Liz Lee; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Clarence Fernandez and Stephen Coates)