00:03Side-by-side, Taiwan President Lai Ching-de and Paraguayan President Santiago Peña walk down a red carpet and take
00:11their place at a military ceremony welcoming the head of state from Taiwan's only South American diplomatic ally.
00:21Peña is on day two of his first state visit to Taiwan, a sign of Paraguay's commitment to strengthening bilateral
00:29relations.
00:32My country receives this grand courtesy with great gratitude.
00:36The military honors reflect not only diplomatic courtesy but also the mutual respect that unites us and our unwavering commitment
00:44to continue strengthening the bonds of friendship and cooperation between our nations.
00:48Paraguay has stood with Taiwan for nearly 70 years, even as China persuaded several of Taiwan's diplomatic allies to switch
00:57recognition in recent years, leaving it with just 12 formal allies.
01:01I want to thank the President Peña and the Paraguay government for the long time in the international community and
01:08to support Taiwan's international cooperation.
01:12We are also hoping that the two countries will continue to support each other in the international community and to
01:18strengthen each other's growth of the world.
01:23While Peña's presence is seen as a sign that Taipei's relationship with Asuncion remains strong, China has reportedly been dialing
01:32up pressure on Paraguay to switch recognition to Beijing, particularly by targeting the country's opposition parties.
01:38But an analyst said such efforts might not succeed at least as long as Paraguay's ruling party remains in power.
01:46Actually, in December of 2024, China sent an envoy to Asuncion to meet with opposition legislators and to tell them
01:53to encourage them to lobby for switching relations to China.
01:57And Peña's administration expelled that Paraguayan envoy. He was actually deported from the country.
02:02During his visit, Peña told Taiwan's central news agency that he has encouraged Honduras's new president, Nasri Asfura, to look
02:10at Paraguay's partnership with Taiwan as an example.
02:13Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 2023 in favor of Beijing.
02:18But Asfura has signaled his interest in restoring relations with Taiwan.
02:23Bloomberg reported on Thursday that Asfura is reviewing agreements his predecessor signed with China as he weighs re-establishing ties
02:31with Taipei.
02:32Peña's visit is just one of a streak of diplomatic wins for Taiwan in recent days.
02:38Last week, President Lai Ching-de managed to visit Taipei's only diplomatic ally in Africa, Eswatini, after needing to postpone
02:46the trip.
02:46Three countries along his flight path revoked overflight privileges for his charter jet, with Taipei saying Beijing coerced those three
02:54countries into doing so.
02:56Earlier this week, Taiwan's Deputy Foreign Minister Francois Wu delivered remarks at the European Parliament,
03:02a rarity as governments fear Chinese backlash for hosting high-level Taiwanese officials.
03:08And now, with Peña here, Taiwan is proving that it can engage with the world, despite the challenges.
03:15The question now is, can it keep up its hot streak?
03:18Chris Ma and Leslie Liao for Taiwan Plus.
03:20It says...
03:21Yes.
03:21Yes.
03:21You are Windowsanny?
03:22No.
03:23You are.
03:24No, sir?
03:24Yes.
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