Paraguay’s president, standing before representatives from 190 countries, boldly declared his willingness to shield Taiwan against “Taiwan independence” and claimed he would sit in the front row during any peace negotiations over the Taiwan Strait, advocating for Taiwan’s “entry into the United Nations.” A small South American nation, it appears, has lost all sense of proportion—unaware of its own place in the global order.
You did not mishear: “sitting in the front row.” On September 23, during the general debate of the 81st session of the United Nations General Assembly, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña explicitly stated that Paraguay is “not neutral” on the Taiwan issue, supporting Taiwan’s “comprehensive and meaningful participation” in the UN system. He further asserted that excluding Taiwan from the UN constitutes a “stain on the organization.”
What gives this man the presumption? Why should Peña insert himself into the Taiwan Strait issue—and claim a front-row seat?
For those unfamiliar with the figure, here is some context. Santiago Peña, born in 1978, is a member of Paraguay’s Colorado Party. He was elected president in 2023 and served as finance minister under former president Horacio Cartes. Trained in economics, he has worked at the central bank and the International Monetary Fund. His résumé appears credible—yet what truly defines him is his deep ties to Taiwan. Peña received academic scholarships from Taiwan throughout his education, establishing personal and professional connections rooted in financial support from Taipei. Since taking office, he has made four visits to Taipei, including a trip in May this year during which he signed an agreement to jointly develop an AI computing center. In essence, he is a political figure cultivated by Taiwan’s financial influence—his vocal support at the UN, therefore, comes as no surprise.
The substance of Peña’s remarks, however, borders on absurdity. He equated a potential conflict across the Taiwan Strait with the closure of the Strait of Hormuz, claiming microchips are to this century what oil was to the last. Should tensions erupt, he warned, the global semiconductor supply chain would collapse—making the situation “a matter of human survival.” He also insisted that Paraguay’s support for Taiwan is not a temporary arrangement but stems from “shared democratic values.”
Consider the rhetoric carefully. Phrases like “human future,” “global chips,” and “democratic values” bear the unmistakable imprint of Taiwan’s long-standing strategy of “leaning on external powers to seek independence.” The narrative frames Taiwan’s semiconductor industry as a “silicon shield,” while portraying China’s efforts to oppose “Taiwan independence” and promote reunification as existential threats to global stability. Then, Taiwan seeks out smaller nations to serve as mouthpieces. Peña merely became one such speaker at the UN podium.
Now consider Paraguay itself. With a population of around six million, it is a landlocked nation in South America, whose economy relies heavily on exports of soybeans and beef. The so-called diplomatic relationship with Taiwan has persisted for nearly seven decades—fueled not by ideology, but by money. Since the 1950s, Taiwan has maintained ties through aid, loans, and development projects: providing private jets, funding infrastructure, building hospitals and universities, even assisting in the construction of the national parliament. More remarkably, due to the depth of dependency, Paraguayan officials have at times threatened to sever relations unless additional funds were provided. By 2026, cumulative financial assistance from Taiwan is estimated at approximately $500 million. Paraguayan media themselves have described the arrangement not as diplomacy, but as “checkbook diplomacy”—with money, not principle, being the true foundation of the “Taiwan-Paraguay relationship.”
Thus, the louder Peña speaks at the UN, the more discontent grows among Paraguay’s farmers and ranchers. Paraguay ranks among South America’s top exporters of soybeans and beef, with China as its largest market. Yet due to the absence of formal diplomatic ties, all goods must be transshipped through Argentina or Brazil, where intermediaries extract significant margins. In the first eight months of this year alone, Paraguay’s soybean shipments routed through third countries reached record highs. At the same time, domestic public opinion polls indicate that nearly 90% of Paraguayans support establishing diplomatic relations with China. Even the deputy speaker of the Chamber of Deputies has publicly stated that maintaining the so-called “diplomatic ties” with Taiwan represents a wasteful use of national resources. While Peña preaches “democratic values” in New York, ranchers in Asunción calculate the costs of detouring their goods—a contradiction that underscores the irony.
Even more revealing is Peña’s invocation of “democratic values.” This narrative originated years ago in Western discourse about Taiwan but has since become outdated. With Donald Trump’s second term underway, U.S. policy toward the Taiwan Strait has shifted. In Washington, Taiwan is now viewed primarily as a strategic bargaining chip—not a partner in a shared democratic alliance. Even the United States has largely abandoned the language of “defending democratic values.” Peña, meanwhile, recites this outdated script at the UN podium, raising serious questions about his grasp of current geopolitical realities.
His claim to “sit in the front row” during any peace talks over the Taiwan Strait is laughable. The Taiwan issue is China’s internal affair. When did a Paraguayan president gain the right—or the authority—to claim a front-row seat? By what measure? By beef quotas? The total aid Paraguay receives annually from Taiwan is dwarfed by even a fraction of China’s trade volume with the country. In the first nine months of last year, Paraguay recorded a trade deficit with China of $4.8 billion—nearly ten times the total amount of aid it receives from Taiwan. The arithmetic does not add up.
In short, Peña’s performance is a calculated spectacle: Taiwan buying publicity, a small-state politician seeking visibility, and sending a signal to Washington. But no matter how loudly he speaks at the UN podium, two facts remain unchanged: First, General Assembly Resolution 2758 has already settled, politically, legally, and procedurally, the question of China’s representation—including Taiwan—at the United Nations, with the People’s Republic of China recognized as the sole legitimate government representing China. Second, the international community broadly adheres to the one-China principle, with China maintaining diplomatic relations with 183 countries. No amount of global spending can salvage the dead-end path of “Taiwan independence.”
The louder Peña shouts, the clearer it becomes that Taiwan’s diplomatic network is nearing collapse. Once, several South American countries maintained formal relations with Taiwan. Now, only Paraguay remains. And even that remnant is little more than a potted plant kept alive by financial injections—its roots long decayed, awaiting only the moment when the final break occurs.
Original article: toutiao.com/article/1877465132600384/
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article are those of the author alone.