
Foreign Ministers Rubén Ramírez Lezcano of Paraguay and Lin Chia-lung of Taiwan on Friday celebrated in Asunción 68 years of diplomatic ties between the two nations. The visiting mission includes a delegation of over 30 Taiwanese business leaders from strategic sectors such as semiconductors, information and communications technology (ICT), smart transportation, smart agriculture and livestock, construction and building, as well as high-tech smart textiles.

Paraguay's total exports in the first half of 2025 saw a 7.6% decline, totaling US$7.83 billion compared to US$8.47 billion in the same period last year, according to a report from the Central Bank of Paraguay (BCP) released Friday in Asunción, which thus showed a trade deficit of US697.9 million, a significant shift from the US$469 million surplus recorded in June 2024.

Paraguay's Foreign Ministry and private sector associations regarding fuel bunkering operations at kilometer 171 of the Paraguay-Paraná waterway started a round of discussions Thursday in Asunción after Argentina's customs authority announced a potential suspension of these operations.

Pastor Soria Melo has been dismissed as the head of Paraguay's National Plant and Seed Quality and Health Service (Senave) through a presidential decree, following his indictment on charges of passive bribery, aggravated passive bribery, criminal association, and money laundering.

Presidents Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva of Brazil and Santiago Peña of Paraguay on Thursday discussed during the Southern Common Market (Mercosur) Summit in Buenos Aires the ongoing investigation into an intelligence operation carried out during the Jair Bolsonaro years to obtain confidential information from Paraguayan officials involved in negotiations on the binational Itaipu power plant. Both leaders also exchanged invitations for reciprocal visits.

Brazilian national Cássio Mussawer Montenegro opened fire Thursday at approximately 1.30 pm against Prima Felicia Benítez de Cantuni, a 78-year-old former judge who works as a legal advisor at the Brazilian Consulate in Ciudad del Este. During the attack at the diplomatic mission, the woman was shot in the left arm. Security personnel fired back. The perpetrator then tried to kill himself but failed. They are both hospitalized, the Alto Paraná Police Chief, Crio Feliciano Martínez, confirmed.

Paraguayan President Santiago Peña delivered his second management report to Congress, highlighting his administration's achievements over the past two years in areas like education, health, infrastructure, security, and social development.

Major business users of the Paraná-Paraguay Waterway (agro-exporters, industrialists, and port operators) have issued a joint statement supporting the Argentine government's bidding process for a private operator of the Trunk Waterway. They urge all stakeholders to channel their proposals, including those related to tariffs and environmental impact, through the established technical dialogue tables to avoid hindering consensus.

Officials of Paraguay’s National Secretariat of Tourism (Senatur) conducted a trade mission in Santa Cruz, Bolivia, to promote their country as a tourist destination.

Argentine President Javier Milei is preparing to host the South American Common Market (Mercosur) Summit Wednesday and Thursday in Buenos Aires, during which he will have to welcome his Brazilian colleague Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, with whom he does not see eye to eye after calling him names during the 2023 campaign.