TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — China has been wooing Paraguay to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing by inviting Paraguay parliamentarians on lavish, all-expenses-paid trips to entice the South American country with promises of economic gains and development aid.
At least 19 Paraguayan lawmakers and five journalists have visited China since late 2023, according to Reuters. Many of these trips are at the invitation of the Chinese consulate in Sao Paulo and include extravagant banquets and stays at high-end hotels.
Paraguayan opposition lawmaker Roya Torres said Chinese officials spotlighted healthcare services and technology and took her to tour treatment centers and high‑speed rail stations during her trip in October 2025. Torres said she felt Paraguay was "running out of time," Reuters quoted her as saying.
Liberal Party Deputy Billy Vaesken, who visited China in 2024, was drawn by the potential benefits of Chinese investment in local infrastructure. Paraguay “must not miss our chance,” he said.
China's foreign ministry told Reuters that “siding with Taiwan authorities holds no future,” and said that an increasing number of Paraguayans believe establishing diplomatic ties with Beijing would be in the “fundamental and long‑term interests” of both countries. China has already poached four of Taiwan’s former diplomatic allies in the past decade, including Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Nicaragua, and Honduras.
In a statement to Reuters, Taiwan's foreign ministry confirmed China’s poaching strategy said it was "actively working to maintain ties with all of Taiwan's diplomatic partners." Taiwan has helped fund multiple projects in Paraguay, including the parliament building and a new Taiwan-Paraguay Polytechnic University campus.
However, a report by the Center for Analysis and Dissemination of the Paraguayan Economy found Paraguay’s ties with Taiwan have delivered only modest economic gains, per Reuters. Taiwan embassy officials said they are lobbying to counter China by making local TV appearances and inviting ruling Colorado Party lawmakers to Taiwan.
President Santiago Pena has continuously reaffirmed support for Taipei. In December, he said, “All the Latin American countries that switched from Taiwan to China and fell into the arms of the promise of the Chinese dream — every single one of them is worse off than Paraguay.”
The Paraguay foreign ministry said in a statement that ties with Taiwan "are founded on principles and values of freedom, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law."
