In the past few days, my country said in an official communique that Paraguay observes with concern and condemns the military exercises carried out by the People’s Republic of China in the vicinity of the Republic of China (Taiwan). The drills constitute a serious threat to the balance in the region.
Paraguay advocates for peace and stability in the world, the Paraguayan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
There is no doubt that the defense of peace and democracy throughout the world is an essential duty to ensure that the rule of law in countries where freedom and justice govern continues permanently and securely.
Any form of intimidation and pressure exerted through a coercive force constitutes a flagrant contravention of the Charter of the UN, which in Article 1 states that all member countries must be peace-loving.
That is why the solidarity expressed by the government and Paraguayans with Taiwan, in this circumstance, acquires special relevance, because it demonstrates the unity of values shared between the nations and that despite the geographical distance, there is a bond of union between the two peoples.
“Ich bin ein Berliner” — “I am a Berliner” — is a famous German phrase declared by then-US president John F. Kennedy during his June 26, 1963, speech in West Berlin, on the balcony of the city hall building in the city’s Schoneberg area. The statement expressed the US’ solidarity with the city’s inhabitants on the anniversary of the blockade of Berlin imposed by the Soviet Union, and the consequent start of construction of the Berlin Wall on Aug. 13, 1961.
Whenever there is a threat or intimidation to this sister Asian nation that seeks to break regional peace or democracy in this country, all lovers of freedom and the rule of law should also say: “I am a Taiwanese.”
Carlos Jose Fleitas Rodriguez is the Paraguyan ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan).
For decades, the US and Taiwan have focused on shoring up Taiwan’s military defenses against a potential People’s Liberation Army (PLA) invasion. However, a new report by the American Enterprise Institute and the Institute for the Study of War, From Coercion to Capitulation: How China Can Take Taiwan Without War, explores alternative Chinese strategies. The report says that China could employ non-military methods such as threats, coercion and isolation to pressure Taiwan into submission. This highlights a potential gap in US strategy, suggesting a need to consider approaches beyond solely strengthening Taiwan’s military. Former US president Donald Trump and US President
Taiwan will once again be forced to compete in the Olympics this summer under a nonsensical moniker that neither refers to any political reality nor the identity of its team. Rather, Taiwan competes under “Chinese Taipei,” a Chinese construction imposed on Taiwanese without consultation. “Chinese Taipei” is the sole Olympic team not reflecting the name used by its own people. Even territories such as Puerto Rico, Hong Kong and the Virgin Islands are allowed to use their own names and flags. Other partially recognized states such as Israel, Kosovo and Palestine compete as themselves. “Chinese Taipei” includes athletes from Kaohsiung, Tainan,
One day after President William Lai (賴清德) was sworn in, tens of thousands of citizens gathered outside the Legislative Yuan, as legislators held a highly contentious session inside the building. Protesters decried the two major opposition parties — the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party (TPP), whose combined seats in the legislature outnumber that of Lai’s Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) — for sponsoring several bills that are widely viewed as unconstitutional, financially and environmentally unsustainable or a threat to privacy rights. Equally objectionable in the eyes of many civic groups was the disregard for due process, as
The scuffles on the legislative floor on Friday last week over the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) forcing controversial legislation through to the next reading were embarrassing for the nation, but they were hardly unprecedented, and it is important not to fixate on them. Far more pernicious things are happening in the background. The Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) legislative caucus was fiercely opposed to the KMT’s and TPP’s antics. Objections and concerns have been expressed in many quarters, including international academics, the Taiwan Bar Association, local legal academics and the public. Protesters gathered outside the Legislative