{"id":8114,"date":"2026-10-12T05:32:40","date_gmt":"2026-10-12T05:32:40","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=8114"},"modified":"2026-10-12T05:32:40","modified_gmt":"2026-10-12T05:32:40","slug":"china-sanctions-paraguay-belize-ministers-over-taiwan-ties-politics-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=8114","title":{"rendered":"China sanctions Paraguay, Belize ministers over Taiwan ties | Politics News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Chinese foreign ministry cites national sovereignty and Taiwan separatist activities as reasons behind the measures.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 12 Oct 2026<\/span>12 Oct 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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China has sanctioned Paraguay\u2019s communications minister and Belize\u2019s foreign minister over ties to Taiwan.<\/p>\n

The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the announcement on Monday, citing the safeguarding of China\u2019s national sovereignty and opposition to Taiwan separatist activities as the reasons behind the measures, which went into effect the same day.<\/p>\n

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Recommended Stories <\/h2>\n

list of 3 items<\/span>end of list<\/span><\/section>\n

The measures against Paraguay\u2019s Communications Minister Gustavo Villate and Belize\u2019s Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca include the freezing of their assets in China and the denial of entry visas to Hong Kong and Macau.<\/p>\n

The sanctions also prohibit Chinese organisations and individuals from engaging in transactions, cooperation or other activities with the ministers.<\/p>\n

The Foreign Ministry said that \u201ccertain anti-China politicians\u201d who are \u201cdriven by self-interest\u201d have pushed their nations to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.<\/p>\n

Beijing said the ministers had \u201ctaken a series of egregious actions and statements\u201d, which are \u201cdamaging China\u2019s core interests\u201d.<\/p>\n

Paraguay and Belize are two of 12 countries that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.<\/p>\n

China views Taiwan as its territory, a view the island\u2019s government strongly rejects.<\/p>\n

The measures come two days after Taiwan\u2019s National Day celebration.<\/p>\n

In a National Day speech outside the Presidential Office on Saturday, Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te said the island \u201ccherishes peace\u201d and will \u201cnot give up our freedom\u201d.<\/p>\n

China\u2019s Taiwan Affairs Office condemned Lai\u2019s speech, saying it \u201cdisregards facts, \u2060distorts the truth, misleads the public, and reveals ulterior motives\u201d.<\/p>\n

In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to achieve<\/a> the \u201creunification\u201d of China and Taiwan, calling the goal \u201cunstoppable\u201d.<\/p>\n

Diplomatic relations<\/h2>\n

Paraguay\u2019s Communications Minister Villate marked Taiwan\u2019s National Day with a social media post, saying: \u201cParaguay reaffirms its relationship of friendship and cooperation, based on shared values and principles: the self-determination of peoples, human rights and democracy.\u201d<\/p>\n

The Belize embassy in Taiwan also posted a message on its Facebook celebrating the 37th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.<\/p>\n

\u201cTogether, we look forward to a future of growth, opportunity, and lasting friendship,\u201d the embassy wrote.<\/p>\n

Last month, Taiwan\u2019s Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung visited Belize. His ministry said the two sides had agreed to deepen ties.<\/p>\n

Taiwan\u2019s other allies in the Americas include Guatemala and Haiti. It also has formal diplomatic ties with three Caribbean islands.<\/p>\n

The United States does not have \u2060formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but Washington is bound by law to provide the island with the means to \u200cdefend itself.<\/p>\n

Earlier this month, the US delivered<\/a> two fighter jets to Taiwan as the island seeks to build its defence capabilities to deter a feared attack from China<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n\n

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Chinese foreign ministry cites national sovereignty and Taiwan separatist activities as reasons behind the measures. Published On 12 Oct 202612 Oct 2026 China has sanctioned Paraguay\u2019s communications minister and Belize\u2019s foreign minister over ties to Taiwan. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs made the announcement on Monday, citing the safeguarding of China\u2019s national sovereignty and…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":8115,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_templately_pack_id":"","_templately_imported_at":"","_templately_source":"","_templately_import_session_id":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-8114","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-international-news"],"aioseo_notices":[],"aioseo_head":"\n\t\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t\n\t\t