Paraguayan politician calls for diplomatic ties with China

A Paraguayan lawmaker has called on the Latin American country to establish diplomatic ties with China after leading a delegation to visit the nation, saying Paraguay should "stand on the right side of history".

Carlos Pereira, a member of Paraguay's Chamber of Deputies, made the remarks in an address to congress on Tuesday following a recent visit to China, where his delegation met with officials and visited both Chongqing municipality and Zhejiang province.

According to Pereira, Paraguay's imports from Zhejiang province exceeded $500 million in 2024. He further noted that, despite the absence of diplomatic relations between Paraguay and China, the Latin American country's imports from China exceeded $5.1 billion last year — accounting for 37 percent of its total import volume.

The delegation visited China at the invitation of the Chinese People's Institute of Foreign Affairs, China Media Group reported. During the trip, the delegation met with Zhou Pingjian, the institute's vice-president, as well as Zhang Run, director-general of the Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs of China's Foreign Ministry.

The delegation witnessed a "happy and hardworking" country that ensures its citizens' access to basic public services, Pereira said, adding that the visit had helped dispel many myths.

Pereira said he believes that the Paraguayan people are inclined to see their country establish diplomatic relations with China at some point in the future.

Last month, Paraguayan First Vice-President of the Chamber of Deputies Hugo Meza also called for a "serious debate" over establishing diplomatic relations with China, according to reports.

"In recent years, we have heard time and again the strong call of people from various sectors in Paraguay to develop relations with China," China's Foreign Ministry spokesman Guo Jiakun said earlier this month, citing a poll in Paraguay about establishing diplomatic relations with China.

"China's reunification is unstoppable," Guo added.

"Maintaining so-called 'diplomatic relations' with the Taiwan authorities does not serve the fundamental and long-term interests of Paraguay and its people, and also goes against the prevailing consensus of the international community on upholding the one-China principle."