TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Paraguayan President Santiago Pena Palacios will pay an official visit to Taiwan this week, reports said Tuesday.

The visit comes shortly after President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) traveled to Eswatini, another of Taiwan’s 12 diplomatic allies. In both cases, China has been exerting pressure to persuade the countries to abandon longstanding links with Taiwan and switch recognition to Beijing.

Pena will be in Taiwan from May 7-10, while a 39-member business delegation headed by Industry and Commerce Minister Marco Riquelme will visit from May 6-9, per CNA. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said the delegation will include representatives from food processing, energy, and finance.

The ministry will hold an investment seminar focused on the meat industry Friday. The event will bring potential investors and distributors from Taiwan together in face-to-face meetings with representatives from Paraguay’s meat sector and government.

The two economies are complementary, with cooperation already deep in the areas of renewable energy, green transformation, and smart cities. Pena’s visit will result in the signing of more agreements, the ministry said.

The ministry said China’s bullying of Taiwan’s allies is not a secret, with the international community taking note of Beijing’s attempts to persuade the allies to switch sides. Taiwan will continue to emphasize shared values, while close cooperation with Paraguay will benefit the people of both countries, Liberty Times reported.

Before taking office, Pena visited Taiwan in July 2023 and attended Lai’s presidential inauguration in May 2024. While still vice president, Lai led the Taiwanese delegation to Pena’s presidential inauguration in August 2023.