Paraguay’s president-elect begins Taiwan visit that’s meant to foster closer ties

TAIPEI, Taiwan (AP) — Paraguay’s president-elect, Santiago Pena, has arrived in Taipei for a visit meant to reinforce relations between Taiwan and one of its few remaining diplomatic allies. Pena, who takes office next month, is to meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and Vice President William Lai, who is also the governing Democratic Progressive Party’s candidate in the January presidential election. Pena promised during his campaign to maintain diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Paraguay is one of only 13 countries that recognize Taiwan as a country and do not have diplomatic relations with China. China has intensified its campaign to win over Taiwan’s diplomatic allies since independence-leaning Tsai took office in 2016, in part by offering infrastructure investments to developing countries.