China Sanctions Paraguay, Belize Ministers Over Taiwan Ties — SkimNews
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- China sanctioned Paraguay's communications minister and Belize's foreign minister from October 12, citing their countries' diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which Beijing claims as its own territory.
- The measures bar entry to Hong Kong and Macau and prohibit Chinese organizations and individuals from engaging in transactions, cooperation, or other activities with the named officials.
- China's Foreign Ministry cited national sovereignty and security, accusing some Belize and Paraguay politicians of being "anti-China" for pushing to maintain relations with Taiwan.
- The sanctions are largely symbolic, since ministers from Taiwan's diplomatic allies rarely travel to China; prior sanctions of this kind mainly targeted Western politicians supporting Taipei.
- Paraguay and Belize are among only 12 countries still maintaining formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, following Nauru's switch in 2024 and Honduras's in 2023.
- Belize Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca met Taiwan counterpart Lin Chia-lung in September, and Paraguay's Gustavo Villate hosted Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi in June.
Why it matters: With Nauru and Honduras having cut ties in 2024 and 2023 respectively, China is signaling it will personally penalize officials who engage with Taipei, raising the political cost for the 12 remaining allies to host Taiwanese dignitaries.
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