As Taiwan looks to boost ‘unofficial ties,' Paraguay's leader offers facilitator role

Japan Times

23-05-2025

The president of Paraguay, the only South American country with official ties to Taiwan, has offered to act as a facilitator for countries that seek high-level interactions with Taipei, including the United States and Japan.
'I have told the U.S. president that if he ever wants to meet (Taiwanese) President Lai (Ching-te), he's more than welcome to do it in Paraguay,' the country's leader, Santiago Pena, told The Japan Times late Thursday.
'There are not many places in the world where you can bring together the president of Taiwan and the leaders of other nations that are our good friends,' Pena said in an exclusive interview following a summit with Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in Tokyo a day earlier that saw Japan and Paraguay upgrade relations to a strategic partnership.
Pena said he is aware that such meetings would risk a strong reaction from Beijing but stressed that his government is 'more than willing to support and be a strong ally' to Taiwan.
It didn't take long for the president to showcase his new diplomatic approach as he hosted a trilateral 'friendship reception' in Tokyo on Thursday that featured Lee Yi-yang, the head of Taiwan's principal representative office (TECRO) in Japan, as one of the main speakers.
Also present at the event, which was organized jointly by TECRO and the Paraguayan Embassy, were Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki, several Japanese lawmakers and diplomats from a number of countries that don't have official relations with Taipei.
'Paraguay stands proudly as a bridge between Japan and Taiwan, two nations that have long believed in us and in whom we place trust,' Pena said in a speech at the event.
Taiwan's Lee thanked Asuncion for its continued support, including with international forums. He also said that amid growing tensions in the Indo-Pacific region, it is 'more essential than ever' for the three sides to 'stand together and uphold the principles of freedom of navigation as well as the rules-based international order.'
Keiji Furuya (left), head of a parliamentary group on Taiwan, Paraguay Ambassador to Japan Mario Toyotoshi (second from left), Pena (third from left), Taiwan TECRO chief Lee Yi-yang (third from right), Japanese parliamentarian and chairman of the Japan-Paraguay Parliamentary Friendship League Koichi Tani (second from right) and Paraguay Foreign Minister Ruben Ramirez Lezcano take part in a trilateral 'friendship reception' in Tokyo on Thursday. |
GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ
Paraguay's president, who has repeatedly called for Taiwan to be invited to World Health Organization meetings, acknowledged there are challenges in being one of only 12 countries to maintain formal ties with the self-ruled, democratic island. For instance, Paraguayan exports, including key agricultural products such as beef and soybeans, have no direct access to the vast Chinese market.
Nevertheless, the president emphasized his strong belief in Paraguay's approach to relations with Taiwan.
'Sticking to values and principles is often the hardest part, but we also understand that there are no shortcuts in a country's development path, so we have embraced hardship, and we're sticking to it,' he said.
'It is hard to play by the rules, it is hard being a decent, reliable partner, but at the end of the day, we think that this is going to bring more benefit to Paraguay.'
At the same time, Pena indicated that Taipei may not really need Asuncion's assistance in this regard.
'They have their own channels, and they maintain very good dialogue with the U.S., Japan and many other nations that see the benefit of having an independent Taiwan,' he added.
The Paraguayan leader's remarks come after Taiwan's deputy foreign minister, Francois Wu, told The Japan Times that the island was planning to explore higher-level "unofficial" meetings and interactions with Japan and other like-minded nations as part of a push for increased engagement with partners 'at every level.'
'Japan feels more and more comfortable working with Taiwanese officials, unofficially,' the diplomat said in March, urging Tokyo to make more of the possibilities offered by this approach in a bid to strengthen the long and 'special' relationship between the two sides.
Taiwan TECRO chief Lee Yi-yang (left) shakes hands with Japanese Justice Minister Keisuke Suzuki during a trilateral 'friendship reception' in Tokyo on Thursday. |
GABRIEL DOMINGUEZ
While Japan maintains a 'one China' policy, Tokyo and Taipei have been establishing robust unofficial ties in recent years, institutionalizing talks between their respective ruling parties, which have already held several meetings. Interactions have expanded to include think-tank-level cooperation and invitations to key state ceremonies.
Pena said that by elevating relations to a strategic partnership, Japan and Paraguay can now work even closer together on Taiwan and on a number of other global issues, including on maintaining a 'free and open Indo Pacific,' efforts he says are needed considering not all countries are playing by internationally set rules.
'This belief that the larger countries own the right to control, be it land or international waters, is not part of the multilateral understanding about rule of law and the things that we built after World War II,' Pena said, expressing concerns that Taipei might not be the only one facing pressure tactics from Beijing.
'Today is Taiwan. Tomorrow, it could be South Korea or it could be Japan,' he warned.
'We have invited China to be part of the international architecture, but they are not playing by the same rules as we all are,' Pena said. 'So I think that our support for Taipei is also in the interest of Japan, without Tokyo having to recognize Taiwan as a nation.'
Besides upgrading bilateral relations on Wednesday, Tokyo and Asuncion reached a broad agreement on investments. Paraguay hopes to not only boost agricultural exports, but also draw in more Japanese companies at a time when they face looming U.S. trade tariffs.
Taiwanese President Lai Ching-te delivers a speech in Taipei on Tuesday. Pena said in an interview that he is open to facilitating meetings between the leaders of the U.S. and Japan with Lai. |
REUTERS
'My midterm goal is that Paraguay becomes an industrial hub offering high-level jobs and technologies, making it one of the most developed nations in Latin America,' Pena said, adding that he had already met with Toyota Chairman Akio Toyoda, pitching the advantages of setting up a car assembly plant in the South American country.
The president also expressed interest in Japanese companies' involvement in large regional infrastructure projects such as the Bi-Oceanic railway corridor. The four-country project is aimed at creating roads, railways, airports and ports linking Santos in Brazil, on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, with the ports of Iquique and Antofagasta in Chile, on the coast of the Pacific Ocean.
During their meeting, Pena and Ishiba also pledged to promptly launch a long-awaited strategic partnership framework between Japan and Mercosur — Latin America's largest trading bloc — and to advance discussions toward deepening trade relations under the pact.
The bloc — which is currently made up of Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay as full members — is keen to expand relations with Asian countries, particularly Japan, as it seeks to boost trade and deepen economic integration with partners beyond the U.S., Europe and China.
Pena and Ishiba also decided to launch a bilateral policy consultation mechanism to deepen intra-government coordination on strategic issues.
Moreover, Tokyo will provide Asuncion with a $240 million loan to support infrastructure projects, particularly those aimed at improving connectivity and the quality of life of the population. Progress was also made in the area of people-to-people exchanges, with Japan agreeing to enable visa-free entry for Paraguayan citizens on short-stay trips to facilitate personal, cultural, and commercial exchanges between the two nations.
Pena's five-day Japan visit, which ended Thursday, also saw the president travel to the World Expo in Osaka. The move follows a visit to Paraguay last year by then-Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and comes as the two countries prepare to mark the 90th anniversary next year of Japanese migration to Paraguay.