PARAGUAYAN Minister of Foreign Affairs Ruben Ramirez Lezcano clearly told the international press that Paraguay will not sacrifice its diplomatic relations with Taiwan or accept this as a condition for concluding an eventual agreement between the parties, referring to an eventual agreement of Mercosur, which includes Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay, Uruguay and Bolivia, with the People’s Republic of China.
The Paraguayan foreign minister also said that the main point of the negotiations of the agreement would focus on discussing the trade imbalance, since none of the Mercosur countries has the capacity to export value-added products to that market. On the contrary, we export raw materials and import finished products.
We must remember that previously Paraguayan President Santiago Pena also told the press that the Paraguayan position is that Mercosur can negotiate trade agreements with any country, but that these should be done within the bloc as established by the Treaty of Asuncion of 1991. He also emphasized that the diplomatic relations that Paraguay has maintained with Taiwan for more than 67 years are solid and firm.
Paraguay and Taiwan share the same civic values and democratic principles regarding the full observance of the rule of law, respect for human rights, sovereignty and independence of peoples, as well as the importance of education as the main factor and source of progress and well-being of our countries. Both nations hold that only freedom and the rule of law, which is in force unrestricted, can guarantee justice and the well-being of their peoples.
Bilateral trade between the two states has grown by more than 550 percent in the past five years, which demonstrates our economic complementarity and that being allies we can collaborate jointly in the progress of our peoples.
In July last year, President Pena became the first Paraguayan president-elect to visit Taiwan and to date he has visited Taiwan twice, always highlighting the strength of the partnership for cooperation that exists between these two sister countries, that despite being geographically separated, since they are antipodes, they are united by the desire for the progress and well-being of their respective peoples.
In conclusion, I would like to recall the words of Paraguayan President Santiago Pena, who pointed out to various media outlets that he believes that the fight to defend Taiwan is worthwhile and that it could be an inspiration for other countries.
“If we can show that maintaining relations with Taiwan is in national interest, Paraguay can become a model for other countries,” the president said.
Carlos Jose Fleitas Rodriguez is the Paraguayan ambassador to the Republic of China (Taiwan).
In their recent op-ed “Trump Should Rein In Taiwan” in Foreign Policy magazine, Christopher Chivvis and Stephen Wertheim argued that the US should pressure President William Lai (賴清德) to “tone it down” to de-escalate tensions in the Taiwan Strait — as if Taiwan’s words are more of a threat to peace than Beijing’s actions. It is an old argument dressed up in new concern: that Washington must rein in Taipei to avoid war. However, this narrative gets it backward. Taiwan is not the problem; China is. Calls for a so-called “grand bargain” with Beijing — where the US pressures Taiwan into concessions
The term “assassin’s mace” originates from Chinese folklore, describing a concealed weapon used by a weaker hero to defeat a stronger adversary with an unexpected strike. In more general military parlance, the concept refers to an asymmetric capability that targets a critical vulnerability of an adversary. China has found its modern equivalent of the assassin’s mace with its high-altitude electromagnetic pulse (HEMP) weapons, which are nuclear warheads detonated at a high altitude, emitting intense electromagnetic radiation capable of disabling and destroying electronics. An assassin’s mace weapon possesses two essential characteristics: strategic surprise and the ability to neutralize a core dependency.
Chinese President and Chinese Communist Party (CCP) Chairman Xi Jinping (習近平) said in a politburo speech late last month that his party must protect the “bottom line” to prevent systemic threats. The tone of his address was grave, revealing deep anxieties about China’s current state of affairs. Essentially, what he worries most about is systemic threats to China’s normal development as a country. The US-China trade war has turned white hot: China’s export orders have plummeted, Chinese firms and enterprises are shutting up shop, and local debt risks are mounting daily, causing China’s economy to flag externally and hemorrhage internally. China’s
During the “426 rally” organized by the Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and the Taiwan People’s Party under the slogan “fight green communism, resist dictatorship,” leaders from the two opposition parties framed it as a battle against an allegedly authoritarian administration led by President William Lai (賴清德). While criticism of the government can be a healthy expression of a vibrant, pluralistic society, and protests are quite common in Taiwan, the discourse of the 426 rally nonetheless betrayed troubling signs of collective amnesia. Specifically, the KMT, which imposed 38 years of martial law in Taiwan from 1949 to 1987, has never fully faced its
RSS