Paraguay canceled a low-level Chinese diplomat's visa and ordered him to leave, the South American country's foreign ministry said on Thursday, after the envoy appeared to coax lawmakers to reconsider Paraguay's friendly relationship with Taiwan.
Paraguay canceled a low-level Chinese diplomat's visa and ordered him to leave, the South American country's foreign ministry said on Thursday, after the envoy appeared to coax lawmakers to reconsider Paraguay's friendly relationship with Taiwan.
The foreign ministry accused Xu Wei of "interference in domestic affairs," while Taiwan's embassy in the country accused him of having "infiltrated" Paraguay to try to undermine its relationship with Chinese-claimed Taiwan.
The ministry did not specify what Xu's interference had been, but said he had violated the terms of his visa after traveling to Paraguay as part of a Chinese group for a UNESCO meeting. Xu was given 24 hours to leave the country.
In comments recorded at Paraguay's Congress and shared with Reuters, Xu urged Paraguay to recognize China over Taiwan, saying that the choice would benefit the soy-producing nation.
Xu made the comments after meeting with two opposition lawmakers who share sympathetic views toward China.
"Having diplomatic relations with China you can earn more, save more, lower your costs," Xu said in the recording.
"My purpose of this visit is to promote, accelerate the process of filling the gap in the map of Paraguay, that gap is gigantic, which is called the People's Republic of China."
He added that Paraguay had to make a choice. "There is no 'and' option. With China and Taiwan it's just 'or': China or Taiwan."
China's foreign affairs ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Paraguay's long-standing diplomatic support for Taiwan has held back local farmers' grains exports to China. Paraguay is the only remaining South American country with formal relations with Taiwan.
China considers democratically governed Taiwan its own territory. Taipei rejects Beijing's sovereignty claims, saying only the island's people can decide their future.
"This gentleman had a parallel agenda, he came to do internal politics that were not appropriate," said Juan Baiardi, Deputy Minister of Administration and Technical Affairs of Paraguay's Foreign Ministry.
Speaking to reporters while on a visit to the Pacific Islands nation of Palau, another Taipei ally, Taiwan President Lai Ching-te said Paraguay's government and people were firm upholders of democracy.
"China's threatening and baiting of countries around the world is not news," he said.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrai...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the ...
Indonesian rescuers are searching for 130 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea following bad weather, while 113 p...
Maritime trackers received new reports of an attack on a ship in the Strait of Hormuz on Sunday, according to the UK Maritime Trade Operations (UKMTO), adding to concerns about energy supplies after Saudi Arabia shut down a vital oil pipeline on Saturday.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Dubai’s property market has spent years climbing. Now, for the first time since 2021, prices are moving in the opposite direction.
Saudi Arabia has temporarily shut down its 1,200-kilometre East-West oil pipeline after it was hit by a drone attack, with Riyadh and Baghdad saying the strike originated from Iraq.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
A Kyiv-Warsaw train was struck near the Polish border, Ukraine's state railway firm said on Sunday. No passengers were injured. Ukrainian Railways said that the country's railways were facing systematic attacks for a second day and warned of widespread delays.
Indonesian rescuers are searching for 130 people after a passenger ship carrying 243 people sank in the Java Sea following bad weather, while 113 people have been evacuated and six have died, the country’s search and rescue agency said on Sunday.
China will lead the creation of an open source platform among BRICS members to promote cooperation on large language models, Chinese President Xi Jinping said on Sunday.
Swedes vote in an election on Sunday (13 September) that could see the far-right enter government for the first time if the country's right-wing parties can form a majority.
Philippine rescuers recovered 41 more charred remains from a ferry fire on Saturday (12 September), taking the death toll to 76, while 13 people remained unaccounted for as forensic teams worked to identify the victims.
You can download the AnewZ application from Play Store and the App Store.
What is your opinion on this topic?
Leave the first comment