MercoPress. South Atlantic News Agency

Taiwan confident about diplomatic ties with Paraguay

Taiwan's diplomatic ties with Paraguay will remain unchanged despite an assertion by the new Paraguayan president that he will no longer support the island's entry into the United Nations, a senior Taiwanese official said Tuesday in Taipei.

The statement by Foreign Ministry spokesman Henry Chen comes amid concern that Paraguayan President Fernando Lugo will follow through on a campaign promise to drop recognition of Taiwan in favor of China. In a Sunday television interview, Lugo said Paraguay would reverse its long-standing support for Taiwanese UN membership at the upcoming UN General Assembly session beginning September 16. "We will no longer vote (at the UN) for Taiwan," Lugo said. This in spite of the fact Taiwan has been a generous contributor to Paraguay both in direct funds, investments and technical support. "Lugo's statement will not affect bilateral ties as he has reassured our president that nothing will change," he said. "In the past, allies have given us different degrees of support on the UN issue, but that has not affected ties." The issue of diplomatic relations between Asuncion and Taipei has achieved special significance because of Taiwanese President Ma Ying-jeou's strong efforts to forge a diplomatic truce with Beijing, as part of a broader attempt to lower tensions across the 160 kilometer wide Taiwan Strait. Taiwan's diplomatic allies traditionally use the opening of the fall General Assembly session to press for the island's admission into the world body, from which it was expelled in 1971, when the China seat was transferred from Taipei to Beijing. This year Taiwan has not expressed a formal desire for U.N. membership, but has said it wants to be included in UN bodies, like the World Health Organization. Following Ma's inauguration in May, Taiwanese Foreign Minister Francisco Ou said Taiwan would resent any attempt by China to persuade Asuncion to switch relations from Taipei, because it would indicate the Chinese leadership was not willing to observe Ma's hoped-for diplomatic truce. China is now recognized by more than 170 countries, while Taiwan has only 23 partners, mostly small and impoverished nations in Africa, the Pacific and Central America.