China sanctions Paraguay and Belize ministers over Taiwan ties — SkimNews
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- China's Foreign Ministry sanctioned Paraguay's communications minister Gustavo Villate and Belize's foreign minister Francis Fonseca, accusing them of being 'pawns' who spread 'false information about Chinese cyberattacks' and attacked Beijing.
- The measures — including denied entry visas for Hong Kong and Macau and a prohibition on transactions with Chinese organizations — are 'largely symbolic,' since ministers from Taiwan's diplomatic allies generally do not travel to China.
- Paraguay's Villate dismissed the sanctions as 'to be expected,' pointing to joint projects with Taiwan including a data center, and pledged to 'push this even more strongly.'
- Belize's Foreign Ministry called the sanctions 'unwarranted' interference in the 'lawful duties' of Fonseca's office and said they would not alter Belize's foreign policy; Fonseca had met his Taiwan counterpart Lin Chia-lung in Belize last month.
- Taiwan's Foreign Ministry condemned the move as 'blatant interference in the sovereignty and foreign policies of other nations' and said China had no right to intervene in its diplomatic relations.
- Paraguay and Belize are among just 12 countries maintaining formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan; Nauru severed ties in 2024 and Honduras ended decades-long relations in 2023, the latest defections.
Why it matters: Though the sanctions are largely symbolic — ministers from Taiwan's allies rarely travel to China — Beijing's pressure campaign has produced real defections, with Nauru switching in 2024 and Honduras in 2023, shrinking Taipei's formal allies to 12. Defiant responses from both Paraguay and Belize, plus Villate's naming of concrete cooperation like a data center, suggest Beijing isn't winning converts so much as buying irritation.
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