US SENATOR WORRIED: A spokesman said the government appreciated its US friends’ support, but it would continue to strengthen ties with allies
Taipei Times
Date: May 17, 2018
By: Stacy Hsu / Staff reporter
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday dismissed a US senator’s concern that Paraguay
From left, Ambassador to Paraguay Diego Chou, Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes, Paraguayan president-elect Mario Abdo Benitez and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Jose Maria Liu are pictured in an undated photograph taken during Liu’s visit to Paraguay last week. Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
would be the next nation to break diplomatic ties with Taiwan, saying that ties remain strong and solid.
“Relations between the government and its Paraguayan counterpart remain stable. Our bilateral cooperation has been going smoothly, and both sides have seen close educational and cultural exchanges,” ministry spokesman Andrew Lee (李憲章) said.
The ministry appreciated its US friends’ support and concerns, but would continue to consolidate ties with diplomatic allies amid Beijing’s repeated attempts to poach them, which has destabilized the region, Lee said.
US Senator Marco Rubio on Tuesday said at a US Senate Foreign Relations subcommittee hearing that he had heard that Paraguay could be the next Western Hemisphere ally to switch recognition to China, after Panama in June last year and the Dominican Republic last month. [FULL STORY]