China Sanctions Ministers From Paraguay and Belize Over Support for Ties With Taiwan
China's foreign ministry on Monday barred Paraguay's Rural Development and Land Minister Juan Carlos Baruja and Belize's Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca from entering mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, saying the two had harmed China's sovereignty by pushing their countries to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. A spokesperson said their actions “repeatedly and maliciously harmed China's sovereignty and dignity,” and their visa applications would not be processed.
Baruja met Taiwan's agriculture chief Chen Ming-chi in June to push for zero tariffs on Paraguayan beef exports to Taiwan, while Fonseca met Taiwan's foreign minister Lin Chia-lung in New York last month during the UN General Assembly. Belize's representative office in Taiwan held a Taipei 101 lighting ceremony on Saturday marking 37 years of ties. Neither ministry immediately responded to requests for comment. Only 12 countries now maintain formal ties with Taiwan; Paraguay is the largest and the only one in South America. Since 2016, Beijing has peeled away 10 of Taipei's allies. (Source: Reuters)
Source: GSM · USA (original Chinese edition)
Photo: 巴拉圭国会大厦，CC0（Wikimedia Commons）
