Paraguay Deputy Foreign Minister meets Taiwan's Lin Chia-lung ahead of 70th anniversary.

The bilateral diplomatic relations between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and its South American ally Paraguay have ushered in another wave of important exchanges. Andrea Alvaredo, Vice Minister of Administrative and Technical Affairs of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Paraguay, recently traveled across the ocean to lead a delegation visiting Taiwan. This visit not only highlights the deep traditional friendship between the two nations, but also serves as a highly symbolic and steadfast expression of solidarity at a time when global geopolitical landscapes are undergoing drastic changes and Taiwan's diplomatic allies face intense pressure from the Chinese Communist Party attempting to poach them. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung personally received Alvaredo and her delegation in Taipei, where both sides engaged in deep and frank exchanges of views on future cooperation directions across various fields and international participation, demonstrating the seamless strategic tacit understanding between Taiwan and its loyal partner in South America.

During the reception, Lin extended a warm welcome and sincere gratitude to the visiting delegation from Paraguay. Lin specifically pointed out that over the years, Taiwan and Paraguay have accumulated exceptionally fruitful cooperation outcomes in a wide range of fields, including agricultural technology, medical and public health, infrastructure, information and communications, and education and culture. These substantive programs that benefit the peoples of both countries serve as the most solid foundation of bilateral ties. Most importantly, next year will mark the historical milestone of the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of China and the Republic of Paraguay. This not only bears witness to the precious friendship of standing together through thick and thin for over half a century, but also opens up brand-new horizons for future bilateral relations. Lin expressed his hope that as the 70th anniversary approaches, the teams from both sides can jointly plan more forward-looking and substantively beneficial cooperation highlights to push the partnership between the two countries to another peak and concretely showcase it to the peoples of Taiwan and Paraguay.

Faced with the high expectations and long-term, continuous cooperative support from Taiwan's foreign minister, Paraguayan Vice Minister Alvaredo provided a firm and warm response during the talks. Alvaredo explicitly stated that the Paraguayan government will continue to firmly support Taiwan as it has always done. In the future, aside from continuing to deepen substantive bilateral cooperation, Paraguay will also actively demonstrate to the international community the enormous success and experience gained from the partnership between Paraguay and Taiwan. Alvaredo emphasized that the cooperative projects between Paraguay and Taiwan have never been mere slogans in form, but rather concrete practices that genuinely improve the lives of grassroots citizens and promote overall national development. Through these visible and tangible cooperation outcomes, Paraguay hopes to prove to the world that choosing to cooperate with Taiwan is a correct path full of development potential, which undoubtedly provides a strong boost for Taiwan in striving for international visibility and substantive friendship.

Delving into the diplomatic context between Taiwan and Paraguay, this trans-Pacific alliance has long served as Taiwan's most crucial strategic fulcrum in the Latin American region. In recent years, amidst the rise of international diplomatic realism and ongoing economic enticements and diplomatic suppression by Beijing authorities attempting to squeeze Taiwan's international survival space, Paraguay remains Taiwan's only remaining diplomatic ally in South America, and its diplomatic trends and stance toward Taiwan consistently attract high attention from the international community. Although successive Paraguayan governments have faced economic pressures from domestic industries—such as beef and soybean exporters hoping to tap into the massive market of mainland China—they have consistently stood firm on the diplomatic front, grounded in long-standing shared democratic values and substantive mutually beneficial cooperation. Through stationed medical missions, talent cultivation assistance by the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, and flagship educational programs such as the Paraguay Taiwan Polytechnic University, the Taiwanese government continues to cultivate roots deep within Paraguayan society, embedding the concept that "Taiwan is a reliable partner" into the hearts of the Paraguayan people.

Looking ahead to the upcoming 70th anniversary of diplomatic relations, Vice Minister Alvaredo's visit to Taiwan is not merely a routine diplomatic courtesy call, but rather substantially consolidates the economic, trade, and diplomatic layouts of the two countries in the post-pandemic era. As Lin Chia-lung actively promotes "economic diplomacy" and "values-based diplomacy" since taking charge of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, cooperation between Taiwan and Paraguay is gradually transforming from traditional agricultural and technical assistance into a comprehensive partnership encompassing the digital economy, high-tech industries, and higher education. Alvaredo's visit to witness Taiwan's development firsthand and her commitment to sharing the success of this cooperation with the world not only counters pessimistic rhetoric in the international arena regarding Taiwan's diplomatic plight, but also lays a long-term foundation for Taiwan's stable diplomacy in Latin America, demonstrating that even when facing severe external challenges, Taiwan can forge and secure true friends around the world through substantive reciprocity and sincerity.