Paraguay expels visiting Chinese envoy for urging its lawmakers to turn their backs on Taiwan

In recent years, four Latin American countries – Honduras, Panama, the Dominican Republic and El Salvador – have severed ties with Taiwan in favor of Beijing, whose one-China principle forces countries to choose between full diplomatic relations with China or Taiwan.

From the halls of the futuristic congressional building in Asuncion, which Taiwan helped finance, Xu emphasized Beijing’s interest in establishing ties with Paraguay, but said the onus was on officials in Paraguay to make the first move.

“It’s either China or Taiwan,” he said. “I recommend that the Paraguayan government take the right decision as soon as possible.”

Addressing lawmakers, Xu listed the prospect of expanding trade with Beijing among “thousands of other benefits.” Some members of Paraguay’s Congress, citing farmers’ efforts to export soybeans and beef to China, argued that the nation could benefit from a diplomatic boost in the long run.

China’s trade with South America has grown exponentially in recent years, reaching almost $500 billion in 2023, according to data from the Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean.

On Wednesday, the Taiwan embassy in Paraguay sharply criticized China on the X social media platform, calling Xu an “infiltrator” who seeks to “undermine the strong friendship between Paraguay and Taiwan” that dates back to 1957.