On the 9th, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen met with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Paraguay, the only country in South America with which he has diplomatic relations, and expressed his hope that he would like to continue to maintain relations with China even under increasing pressure.
Paraguayan House Speaker Lopez has been visiting Taiwan since the 8th and met with President Tsai at the Presidential Office in Taipei on the 9th.
At the meeting, President Tsai said, "Paraguay was the first destination I visited abroad after taking office as president in 2016. Taiwan was also the first destination of the President of Paraguay, who took office in 2018, and the deep friendship between the two countries. is shown," emphasizing the friendly relationship.
He said, "In the face of the expansion of authoritarianism, we allies on the front for democracy should strengthen cooperation." I hope that we can make a contribution," he said, expressing his hope that the relationship will continue to be maintained despite the increasing pressure from China.
Paraguay is the only country in South America that has diplomatic relations with Taiwan. We will establish diplomatic relations with China,” he said.
Paraguay is a thriving producer of beef and soybeans, and Mr. Alegre of the opposition coalition expressed the recognition that they are losing a lot because they do not have diplomatic relations with China.
Perhaps conscious of this, President Tsai said at the meeting on the 9th, "From January to October last year, the amount of trade between Taiwan and Paraguay reached a record high despite the pandemic of the new coronavirus." I was.
During Lopez's stay until the 12th of this month, the Tsai Ing-wen administration is expected to step up efforts to maintain diplomatic relations.