Paraguayan president-elect Santiago Pena is to visit Taiwan from tomorrow until Saturday, during which time the two allies are to celebrate the 66th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) announced yesterday.
The Paraguayan delegation would also include a number of the incoming government’s senior officials, including foreign minister-designate Ruben Ramirez Lezcano, incoming presidential chief secretary Lea Gimenez Duarte, finance minister-designate Carlos Fernandez Valdovinos and incoming industry and commerce minister Francisco Javier Gimenez Garcia de Zuniga, MOFA said in a news release.
During his five-day visit, Pena is to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文), Vice President William Lai (賴清德), Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), Minister of Economic Affairs Wang Mei-hua (王美花) and Minister of Health and Welfare Hsueh Jui-yuan (薛瑞元), MOFA said.
Photo: EPA-EFE
The delegates would visit National Taiwan University of Science and Technology and Taipei-based non-governmental organization World Vision Taiwan, as well as attend forums with local business representatives, it said.
Pena wrote on Twitter that he would visit Abu Dhabi, then travel to Taiwan to meet Tsai, who he described as a “great friend.”
“We are going to develop an intense international agenda in the coming days carrying the message that Paraguay and its people are up for great things,” he wrote.
Pena pledged during his election campaign to maintain Paraguay’s six decades of diplomatic relations with Taiwan, despite pressure from the local agricultural sector, which wants access to China’s soybean and beef markets.
Pena’s trip, ahead of his inauguration on Aug. 15, coincides with the 66th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations on July 12, 1957, making the visit even more meaningful, MOFA said.
Pena, a 44-year-old economist and former finance minister, won 43 percent of the votes in Paraguay’s April 30 presidential race, defeating center-left rival Efrain Alegre, who had campaigned on a pledge to cut diplomatic relations with Taipei in favor of Beijing.
Pena’s victory eased fears that Taiwan would lose another ally.
The number of allies that maintain formal relations with Taiwan has dwindled to 13 in recent years, and Paraguay is the only country in South America to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
MOFA said that it plans to send representatives to attend Pena’s inauguration.
Diplomatic sources have told Reuters that Lai might attend as Taiwan’s representative, likely transiting through the US to meet US officials.
Additional reporting by Reuters
SECURITY: As China is ‘reshaping’ Hong Kong’s population, Taiwan must raise the eligibility threshold for applications from Hong Kongers, Chiu Chui-cheng said When Hong Kong and Macau citizens apply for residency in Taiwan, it would be under a new category that includes a “national security observation period,” Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) Minister Chiu Chui-cheng (邱垂正) said yesterday. President William Lai (賴清德) on March 13 announced 17 strategies to counter China’s aggression toward Taiwan, including incorporating national security considerations into the review process for residency applications from Hong Kong and Macau citizens. The situation in Hong Kong is constantly changing, Chiu said to media yesterday on the sidelines of the Taipei Technology Run hosted by the Taipei Neihu Technology Park Development Association. With
CARROT AND STICK: While unrelenting in its military threats, China attracted nearly 40,000 Taiwanese to over 400 business events last year Nearly 40,000 Taiwanese last year joined industry events in China, such as conferences and trade fairs, supported by the Chinese government, a study showed yesterday, as Beijing ramps up a charm offensive toward Taipei alongside military pressure. China has long taken a carrot-and-stick approach to Taiwan, threatening it with the prospect of military action while reaching out to those it believes are amenable to Beijing’s point of view. Taiwanese security officials are wary of what they see as Beijing’s influence campaigns to sway public opinion after Taipei and Beijing gradually resumed travel links halted by the COVID-19 pandemic, but the scale of
A US Marine Corps regiment equipped with Naval Strike Missiles (NSM) is set to participate in the upcoming Balikatan 25 exercise in the Luzon Strait, marking the system’s first-ever deployment in the Philippines. US and Philippine officials have separately confirmed that the Navy Marine Expeditionary Ship Interdiction System (NMESIS) — the mobile launch platform for the Naval Strike Missile — would take part in the joint exercise. The missiles are being deployed to “a strategic first island chain chokepoint” in the waters between Taiwan proper and the Philippines, US-based Naval News reported. “The Luzon Strait and Bashi Channel represent a critical access
Pope Francis is be laid to rest on Saturday after lying in state for three days in St Peter’s Basilica, where the faithful are expected to flock to pay their respects to history’s first Latin American pontiff. The cardinals met yesterday in the Vatican’s synod hall to chart the next steps before a conclave begins to choose Francis’ successor, as condolences poured in from around the world. According to current norms, the conclave must begin between May 5 and 10. The cardinals set the funeral for Saturday at 10am in St Peter’s Square, to be celebrated by the dean of the College
RSS