Taiwan rolled out the red carpet for Paraguay President Santiago Pena on Friday to shore up relations with its only South American ally, as Beijing urged Asuncion to sever ties with Taipei. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and Paraguay President Santiago Pena in Taipei on May 8, 2026. Photo: Taiwan Presidential Office, via Flickr. Taipei has only 12 diplomatic allies after Beijing, which claims Taiwan is part of its territory, systematically poached the others in a bid to isolate the self-governed island.
Pena is leading a delegation of government officials and business representatives on a four-day visit, and has described the island as a “fundamental partner” for the South American country.
President Lai Ching-te officially welcomed Pena on Friday with military honours, including cannon salutes and red carpet, ahead of a sit-down meeting.
Addressing the military parade under grey skies, Lai thanked Pena and his government “for long speaking up for Taiwan on the international stage”.
“Taiwan and Paraguay are partners firmly committed to the values of democracy, freedom and human rights,” Lai said. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and Paraguay President Santiago Pena in Taipei on May 8, 2026. Photo: Taiwan Presidential Office, via Flickr. Pena said: “Paraguay deeply values this relationship and reaffirms its commitment to continue supporting Taiwan in a strategic alliance based on shared values.”
China’s foreign ministry called on Paraguay to “make the right choice” by cutting ties with Taiwan.
Since arriving Thursday, Pena has met with Taiwan’s vice president and other senior government ministers.
He also received an honorary doctorate from the National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, which he hailed as a reflection of the “solid alliance” between Taiwan and Paraguay.
‘Intense pressure’
During his meeting with Lai, Pena condemned Chinese military and economic pressure on Taiwan, and insisted Taipei has a “sovereign right to engage freely with other countries”. Taiwan President Lai Ching-te and Paraguay President Santiago Pena in Taipei on May 8, 2026. Photo: Taiwan Presidential Office, via Flickr. Paraguay and Taiwan were to sign agreements on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, cooperation in cybersecurity, as well as an AI and computing infrastructure investment project.
Taiwan’s other allies in the Americas are Guatemala, Belize and Haiti. It also has formal diplomatic ties with several Caribbean islands.
Pena’s visit comes days after Lai returned from an official trip to Eswatini , Taiwan’s only ally in Africa.
Taiwan has accused China of trying to stop Lai’s visit to Eswatini by applying “intense pressure” to the Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar to revoke overflight permits for his original trip, which had been scheduled for April 22-26 and was cancelled at the last minute.
Lai ended up using the Eswatini king’s plane to make the journey.
Lai’s last official overseas trip was in November 2024, when he visited Taiwan’s Pacific allies and transited through the US territory of Guam.
Pena had announced in July 2025 that Lai would visit Paraguay the following month. But the administration of US President Donald Trump reportedly denied Lai permission to transit through New York as part of the official trip to Latin America.
Taiwan’s foreign ministry denied that Lai was blocked .