Press Release
Legislative Yuan
January 10, 2023
Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun meets Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies President Carlos María López López and his delegation
You Si-kun: Based on reciprocity and mutual interests, Taiwan and Paraguay will continue to develop relations
Today, January 10, at 3 p.m., in the company of Legislator Chiu Chih-wei, Chairman of the Taiwan-Central and Southern American and Carribean Parliamentary Amity Association; Legislator Wen Yu-hsia, Chairwoman of the ROC (Taiwan) and the Republic of Paraguay Parliamentary Friendship Group; Taiwan People’s Party Convener Chiu Chen-yuan; Legislator Wang Wan-yu; Secretary General Lin Jih-jia; Consultant Chou Ya-shu; and Secretariat Director Kung Ping-chieh, Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun met with a delegation led by Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies President Carlos María López López. Ambassador Carlos Fleitas and Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Alexander Tah-ray Yui were also present.
President You began the meeting by extending a sincere welcome to the esteemed guests on behalf of the Legislative Yuan, sharing how pleased he was to meet Speaker López and the other delegation members. President You stressed that Paraguay is Taiwan’s key diplomatic ally in South America, and that the two countries had enjoyed 65 years of diplomatic relations, making for a precious friendship. He thanked Paraguay for its longstanding support of Taiwan.
President You then pointed out that friendship between Taiwan and Paraguay has always been mutually beneficial. Paraguay is a major exporter of beef, and Taiwan’s total beef imports from Paraguay will increase nearly tenfold between 2015 and 2020, and as of August 2022, Paraguay has jumped to become Taiwan’s second-largest source of beef.
President You said that in terms of economic exchanges between Taiwan and Paraguay, the signing of the Taiwan-Paraguay Economic Cooperation Agreement in 2017 was a milestone for Taiwan’s association with MERCOSUR and occurred during the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties. In 2021, Taiwan’s total trade with Paraguay reached US$197 million, an increase of 26.76 percent over the previous year. Last year, the Ministry of Economic Affairs led a trade mission to Paraguay, helping to further economic and trade cooperation between the two countries.
President You mentioned that the two countries enjoy frequent cultural and academic exchanges. When serving as the nation’s Premier some 20 years ago, You said, he had helped to set up the Taiwan Scholarship program, which has benefited over 400 Paraguayan students. Last year, 37 students received Taiwan scholarships to study in Taiwan. This, he said, was pleasing as it promoted closer ties between Taiwan and Paraguay.
President You also said that in recent years, China has been rapidly expanding economically and strategically, and has lured many countries into cooperating with its Belt and Road Initiative. However, time has shown that the infrastructure and loans promised under this program have actually plunged many developing countries into a quagmire of debt. In 2022 alone, the International Monetary Fund had to expend more than $400 billion to help these countries. During the COVID-19 epidemic, China took advantage of the situation by using vaccine diplomacy, by which it pressured Central and South American countries to accept Chinese vaccines in exchange for cooperation. The Paraguayan government has steadfastly rejected China’s malign influence and continues to maintain its solid friendship with Taiwan. President You expressed his deep respect for Paraguay’s steadfast position. He believed that in the future, like-minded countries, including Taiwan, would continue to help Paraguay improve its domestic vaccination rate and that the relationship between Taiwan and Paraguay would continue to develop on a mutually beneficial basis.
President You then stressed that China is an authoritarian country influenced by traditional Chinese political thinking, driven by the mindset that “just as there are not two suns in the sky, there cannot be two kings over the land,” and “all the land is subject to the king, and all the people in the land are his subjects.” China maintains a dynastic mentality under which “those who affront China must pay, even if they are a thousand miles away.” China engages in repression at home and expansion abroad. This has raised tension across the Indo-Pacific region and poses a great threat to global peace and stability. Therefore, President You expressed his sincere admiration on behalf of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan for Paraguay’s determination to maintain a close friendship and not accept the blandishments of the Chinese Communist Party. He wished Speaker López and all the distinguished guests present good health and a pleasant trip, and expressed hope for the continued development of friendship between Taiwan and Paraguay.
When he rose to speak, Speaker López thanked President You for taking the time to meet with him and the delegation and the government of Taiwan for inviting him to Taiwan to exchange ideas. He said that Taiwan and Paraguay have been friends for 65 years and have made significant strides over the years in promoting democracy and freedom and engaging in mutually beneficial exchanges. He also thanked Taiwan for its long-standing economic and educational assistance to Paraguay. As a member of Parliament, he hoped that the parliaments of Taiwan and Paraguay would enjoy closer ties, promote parliamentary diplomacy, and assist their respective nations’ foreign affairs and executive agencies. In conclusion, Speaker López wished the people of Taiwan a prosperous and fulfilling future, and said that Paraguay would continue to deepen its bilateral ties with Taiwan.
Legislator Chiu Chih-wei followed stating that he has seved three terms or 11 years as Chair of the Taiwan-Central and Southern American and Caribeean Countries Parliamentary Amity Association. He had visited Paraguay three times and thanked Paraguay for its support over the past 65 years and for speaking up for Taiwan’s internatinal participation. While geographically far apart, the two countries enjoyed cordial relations and he hoped the ties would continue to flourish.
Legislator Wen Yu-hsia stated that as the Chairwoman of the World Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce (WTCC), she has visited Paraguay four times and Brazil six times. She is concurrently the Chairwoman of the ROC (Taiwan)-Republic of Paraguay Parliamentary Friendship Froup. Due to the pandemic, she has not been abroad in the past three years. This year, the Central and Southern American Taiwanese Chamber of Commerce will meet in Paraguay from June 12-14. She hoped that President You would lead a delegation to Paraguay at that time, and hoped that Speaker López and Paraguayan parliamentarians would continue to look after Taiwanese expatriates in Paraguay, just as the Taiwanese government would assist Paraguayans in Taiwan.
Legislator Chu Chen-yuan stated that he had served as Secretary General of the WTCC and had visited Ciudad del Este. He celebrated the 65-year friendship between Paraguay and Taiwan, mentioning that Taiwan is a key player in regional security and stability, which had become particularly important given the supply chain challenges the world presently faces. In addition to economic, trade, and educational exchanges, Taiwan and Paraguay could seek greater cooperation in green energy, smart cities, and the circular economy, since Taiwan is quite advanced on these fronts. He stated that although the two countries are geographically apart, they enjoy close relations, and he believes that the two countries will continue to enjoy solid ties.
Legislator Wang Wan-yu thanked Paraguay for supporting Taiwan at international events. When she visited Geneva last May with a Taiwanese delegation to work alongside the World Health Assembly, she was grateful to have heard the supporting voice of Paraguay. As Chairwoman of the Legislative Child and Juvenile Rights and Welfare Promotion Association, she hoped to have more exchanges and cooperation with Chairman Blanco of the Committee of Child and Juvenile Development.
Chairman Blanco stated that he was pleased to participate in this exchange of views and thanked President You and legislators for their warm welcome. He saw the two coutnries are moving toward a postive and optimistic way. He believed that the two countries will together enjoy happiness and prosperity, and thanked Taiwan for its assistance to Paraguay over the years. He hoped that by engaging in systematic parliamentary exchanges, the two nations’ parliaments would help their nations make progress. He closed by saying he hoped to have the pleasure of meeting President You and other Taiwanese legislators in Paraguay in the near future.
Chairman Espínola stated that this was his first visit to Taiwan. He is the chairman of the national defense, security, and intelligence committee. The most important task of these areas, he avowed, is to ensure national development. He thanked Taiwan for its longstanding support and assistance to Paraguay. Supporting Paraguay-made products is conducive to helping local businesses and manufacturing thrive. He then said he hoped the two parliaments would develop closer cordial relations.
Chairman Espínola shared that genuine cooperation had to be consistent. No country can stand alone, but needs allies. Therefore, he sincerely thanked Taiwan for its longterm support of personnel development in the fields of agriculture, high-tech, industry, and engineering. He closed by hoping that mutually beneficial relations would continue.
The meeting concluded at 4:10 p.m. after an exchange of gifts, a group photo, and Speaker López’s signing of the legislature’s guest book.
A translation of President You’s remarks is as follows:
Speaker López, Chairman Peralta, Chairman Espínola, Chairman Blanco, and Ambassador Carlos Fleitas; Legislators Chiu Chih-wei, Wen Yu-hsia, Chiu Chen-yuan, and Wang Wan-yu; Secretary General Lin; Consultant Chou; Vice Foreign Minister Yui; ladies and gentlemen: Good afternoon!
I am pleased to have the opportunity to meet with Paraguayan Chamber of Deputies President Carlos María López López and the entire delegation. I extend a sincere welcome to our esteemed guests on behalf of the Legislative Yuan. Paraguay is a key diplomatic ally of Taiwan’s in South America and we have enjoyed 65 years of diplomatic relations, making for a precious friendship. I want to thank Paraguay for its longstanding support of Taiwan.
Friendship between Taiwan and Paraguay has always been mutually beneficial. Paraguay is a major exporter of beef, and Taiwan’s total beef imports from Paraguay increased nearly tenfold between 2015 and 2020. As of August 2022, Paraguay is our second-largest source of beef.
The signing of the Taiwan-Paraguay Economic Cooperation Agreement in 2017 as we celebrated 60 years of diplomatic relations, was a milestone for Taiwan’s relationship to MERCOSUR. In 2021, Taiwan’s total trade with Paraguay reached US$197 million, an increase of 26.76 percent over the previous year. And in 2022, our Ministry of Economic Affairs dispatched a trade mission to Paraguay, demonstrating the deepening economic ties between our countries.
We also enjoy close cultural and academic exchanges. Twenty years ago, when I was Taiwan’s premier, we established the Taiwan Scholarship, which has benefited more than 400 Paraguayan students. Last year, 37 students received Taiwan scholarships. This has greatly promoted friendship between Taiwan and Paraguay, and I am very pleased by the success of this program.
In recent years, China has been rapidly expanding economically and strategically. It has enticed many nations with its Belt and Road Initiative. However, the infrastructure and loans promised by the program have actually plunged many developing countries into a quagmire of debt. In 2022 alone, the International Monetary Fund will have to expend more than $400 billion to help these nations in trouble. During the COVID-19 epidemic, China took advantage of the situation by using vaccine diplomacy to coerce Central and South American countries to use its vaccines in exchange for further cooperation. The Paraguayan government has steadfastly rejected China’s malign influence and continues to maintain solid ties with Taiwan. I want to express my deep respect for Paraguay’s steadfastness. I believe that in the future, like-minded countries including Taiwan will continue to help Paraguay increase its vaccination rate and that the relationship between Taiwan and Paraguay will continue to develop on a mutually beneficial basis.
Unlike global free and democratic countries, China is an authoritarian country that is influenced by traditional Chinese political thinking. It is driven by the mindset that “just as there are not two suns in the sky, there cannot be two kings over the land,” and “all the land is subject to the king, and all the people in the land are his subjects.” China maintains a dynastic mentality under which “those who affront China must pay, even if they are a thousand miles away.” China engages in repression at home and expansion abroad. This has raised tensions across the Indo-Pacific region and poses a great threat to global peace and stability. Therefore, I want to express my sincere admiration on behalf of Taiwan’s Legislative Yuan for Paraguay’s determination to maintain a close friendship and not accept the blandishments of the Chinese Communist Party.
In closing, I wish you all good health and a pleasant stay and I wish our two countries everlasting friendship. Thank you.