President Tsai Ing-wen said March 31 that the government is committed to strengthening relations between Taiwan and Paraguay across a broad spectrum of areas promoting joint prosperity and development.
Since the Agreement on Economic Cooperation between Taiwan and Paraguay came into effect in 2018, it has spurred continued growth in bilateral trade, Tsai said. In 2021, Taiwan imports of frozen beef from Paraguay reached a record high of 29,000 tons, she added.
Tsai made the remarks while receiving a delegation from the Latin America ally led by Luis Alberto Castiglioni, minister of industry and commerce.
This year, tariffs on imports of beef offal from Paraguay have been eliminated, and as a result, January imports alone reached 30 percent of last year’s total, Tsai said.
According to Tsai, Taiwan-Paraguay relations are going from strength to strength. This is evidenced by the president’s state visit to the Latin America ally not long after taking office in May 2016 and her participation in the inauguration of President Mario Abdo Benitez in 2018, followed by President Abdo’s state visit to Taiwan.
The two like-minded partners are dedicated to upholding the values of freedom and democracy, Tsai said, adding that President Abdo has joined Taiwan in publicly condemning the Russian invasion of Ukraine.
Tsai took the opportunity to thank Paraguay for speaking up for Taiwan at numerous international events and backing the country’s global participation. (DL-E)
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