Paraguay's Foreign Minister Rubén Ramírez Lezcano confirmed that the government had previously engaged in dialogue with China regarding the establishment of diplomatic and consular relations, but the talks collapsed due to what he described as “impositions” from Beijing. According to ABC Color, the key condition was that Asunción must break its official ties with Taiwan. Ramírez Lezcano stated that under such terms, “it makes no sense to discuss” further.
Paraguay remains the only South American country to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan, one of just 12 nations worldwide. China considers Taiwan a breakaway province and does not recognize it as a sovereign state. The foreign minister made these remarks during a press conference at Mburuvicha Róga, responding to questions about Paraguay's trade relationship with China—a major export destination for Paraguayan soybeans, despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
The statement came shortly after President Santiago Peña's visit to Taiwan, during which Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Guo Jiakun claimed that “collusion with the authorities of Taiwan does not have popular support” in Paraguay, citing an alleged survey. Ramírez Lezcano reiterated that Paraguay's relationship with Taiwan is founded on shared principles of freedom, democracy, rule of law, and human rights.
Notably, a day before Peña's Taiwan trip, Ramírez Lezcano met in Washington, D.C., with Joshua Young, the U.S. State Department's coordinator for China and deputy assistant secretary for East Asia and the Pacific. The meeting highlighted Paraguay's geopolitical positioning amid the ongoing rivalry between the United States and China, as reported by ABC Color.