China sanctions Paraguay, Belize ministers over Taiwan ties

By AFP and Reuters. Published On 12 Oct 202612 Oct 2026.

Key points

• In a National Day speech outside the Presidential Office on Saturday, Taiwan President William Lai Ching-te remarked the island "cherishes peace" and will "not give up our freedom".
• According to The Foreign Ministry, "certain anti-China politicians" who are "driven by self-interest" have pushed their nations to maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
• In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to achieve the "reunification" of China and Taiwan, calling the goal "unstoppable".
• The Belize embassy in Taiwan additionally posted a message on its Facebook celebrating the 37th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.
• Paraguay and Belize are two of 12 countries that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

China has sanctioned Paraguay's communications minister and Belize's foreign minister over ties to Taiwan.

Notably, the Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs created the announcement on Monday, citing the safeguarding of China's national sovereignty and opposition to Taiwan separatist activities as the reasons behind the measures. It went into effect the same day.

In practice, the measures against Paraguay's Communications Minister Gustavo Villate and Belize's Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca include the freezing of their assets in China and the denial of entry visas to Hong Kong and Macau.

Notably, the sanctions additionally prohibit Chinese organisations and individuals from engaging in transactions, cooperation or other activities with the ministers.

Beijing remarked the ministers had "taken a series of egregious actions and statements". It are "damaging China's core interests".

China views Taiwan as its territory, a view the island's administration strongly rejects. The measures come two days after Taiwan's National Day celebration.

China's Taiwan Affairs Office condemned Lai's speech, saying it "disregards facts, ⁠distorts the truth, misleads the public, and reveals ulterior motives".

Paraguay's Communications Minister Villate marked Taiwan's National Day with a social media post, saying: "Paraguay reaffirms its relationship of friendship and cooperation, based on shared values and principles: the self-determination of peoples, human rights and democracy."

For context, the Belize embassy in Taiwan additionally posted a message on its Facebook celebrating the 37th anniversary of their diplomatic relations.

"Together, we look forward to a future of growth, opportunity, and lasting friendship, " the embassy wrote.

Last month, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung visited Belize. His ministry remarked the two sides had agreed to deepen ties.

Taiwan's other allies in the Americas include Guatemala and Haiti. It additionally has formal diplomatic ties with three Caribbean islands.

Meanwhile, the United States does not have ⁠formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan, but Washington is bound by law to provide the island with the means to ‌defend itself.

Earlier this month, the US delivered two fighter jets to Taiwan as the island seeks to build its defence capabilities to deter a feared attack from China.

In short, china sanctions Paraguay, Belize ministers over Taiwan ties is the central thread here, and readers can expect follow-up reporting as the picture becomes clearer.