In response to the Chinese Communist Party’s sanctions against the Republic of China’s diplomatic allies Paraguay and Belize, Executive Yuan of the Republic of China, Cho Rong-tai, criticized the authoritarian attitude of the CCP, which has garnered global disapproval. The Mainland Affairs Council and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan also strongly condemned the CCP’s actions, labeling them as “despicable”.
The Chinese Foreign Ministry announced in two statements on the 12th that “certain” politicians from Paraguay and Belize have shown “anti-China (anti-Communist)” tendencies while promoting their countries’ diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The CCP declared a freezing of the assets of Paraguay’s Minister of Information and Communication Technology, Gustavo Emigdio Villate Samaniego, and Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade, Francis Fonseca, in China, prohibiting organizations and individuals within Chinese territory from engaging in transactions, cooperation, and activities with them, as well as refusing to issue visas and entry bans to them, including in Hong Kong and Macau.
Executive Yuan of the Republic of China, Cho Rong-tai, stated during a media interview at the Legislative Yuan that peace cannot be achieved by wishful thinking alone, and tolerance should not become an excuse for aggressors to take advantage. This resonates with what President Lai Ching-te mentioned during the National Day ceremony. The CCP’s repeated displays of authoritarian behavior and actions have provoked universal disapproval from around the world.
Cho Rong-tai emphasized that Taiwan, the Republic of China, is a sovereign independent country, and the People’s Republic of China has no right to interfere in the internal affairs or influence the diplomatic relations of any sovereign independent country worldwide, including Taiwan. The government will continue to work more closely with allies and democratic countries to uphold freedom, democracy, and human rights, as well as regional peace and security, while also resisting any expansion of hegemony or totalitarianism.
Chairman of the Mainland Affairs Council of the Republic of China, Chiu Chui, expressed during a media interview at the Legislative Yuan that the CCP uses extraterritorial legal tools to carry out cross-border repression against friendly countries, which represents a new model of cross-border repression against Taiwan. This approach by the CCP harms others and does not benefit itself; it will only fuel hatred among the people of Taiwan towards the actions of the CCP, further distancing the relations between both sides of the strait. Taiwan strongly condemns such behavior and will take corresponding measures in response to this new form of cross-border repression.
According to CNA, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China stated that it strongly condemns the sanctions imposed by the Chinese Foreign Ministry on the two individuals. The content of their press release is absurd and blatantly interferes with the sovereignty and foreign policy of other countries, violating principles of international law. This displays the CCP’s attempt to intimidate politically and engage in cross-border repression to force other countries to comply with its political intentions, disrupting the long-standing close friendship between Taiwan and Belize and Paraguay. Such mentality and means are questionable and despicable.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs reiterated that Taiwan is a sovereign independent country, not under the jurisdiction of the People’s Republic of China, which is an internationally recognized fact and the objective reality in the Taiwan Strait region. The CCP has no right to intervene in Taiwan’s diplomatic relations.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs stressed that the interactions and exchanges between Taiwan and countries like Belize and Paraguay have always been based on the principles of equality, mutual benefit, and respect for each other’s sovereignty, which are consensus and basic norms in the international community. The coercive actions of the CCP will only highlight its arrogance and unreasonable behavior, exposing to the world the CCP’s intent to disrupt the international order with hegemony, while also strengthening the belief of Taiwan’s allies in supporting Taiwan.
Gustavo Villate, Paraguay’s Minister of Information and Communications Technology, stated during a local media interview on Monday that given the cooperation projects in progress between Paraguay and Taiwan, including an artificial intelligence (AI) data center plan, China’s action was “expected”.
“We are very calm. We will continue to advance all existing projects and will push them harder,” Villate said.
Villate’s department and the U.S. Embassy in Paraguay issued a joint statement in July stating that a joint cybersecurity review had found multiple “threat actors” related to the Chinese government invading national systems in Paraguay. Beijing denied the allegations at that time.
Shortly before the CCP issued the sanctions statement, the Belizean Embassy in Taiwan posted on their Facebook page, celebrating the 37th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries (October 11). The embassy wrote: “We look forward to a future full of growth, opportunities, and lasting friendship.”
Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Belize, met with Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung last month in Belize. In June of this year, Villate also met with Taiwan’s Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Chen Ming-chi.
At the time of the deadline, Belize had not responded to the sanctions imposed by the CCP.