In brief
China sanctioned Gustavo Villate, Paraguay's communications minister, and Francis Fonseca, Belize's foreign minister, on Monday, 12 October. Measures freeze assets in China, deny visas and bar entry to China, Hong Kong and Macau.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the Trump Administration opposes coercion and aggression by China against countries in the hemisphere. Secretary of State Marco Rubio's earlier comments were also cited.
Officials from Taiwan's diplomatic allies generally do not travel to China, so the restrictions have limited practical effect. Taiwan has 12 remaining diplomatic allies, and Nauru (2024) and Honduras (2023) switched to Beijing.
Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi said on Tuesday, 13 October, that China was extending transnational repression to Taiwan's allies. Taiwan's Foreign Ministry called the move a flagrant interference in sovereignty.
- 10 OctPresident Lai Ching-te gives National Day speech, saying Taiwan will not give up its freedom
- 11 OctGustavo Villate posts greeting to Taiwan on X
- 12 OctChina announces sanctions on Villate and Francis Fonseca
- 13 OctTaiwan deputy foreign minister Chen Ming-chi calls the sanctions transnational repression
Beijing's sanctions on two Taiwan allies
On Monday, 12 October, China's Foreign Ministry announced sanctions against Gustavo Villate, Paraguay's communications minister, and Francis Fonseca, Belize's foreign minister. Beijing said the two had obstinately supported keeping formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. The measures freeze any assets the two men hold in China, deny them visas and entry to China, Hong Kong and Macau, and bar Chinese individuals and organizations from dealing with them. The sanctions took effect on 12 October. Because officials from Taiwan's diplomatic partners rarely travel to China, the measures are largely symbolic.
Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning told a regular briefing that the two officials had visited Taiwan and received Taiwan independence separatists. She said the measures were meant as a warning to anyone else.
“Certain politicians in Paraguay and Belize have willingly served as pawns of the Taiwan authorities in their attempts to seek Taiwan independence by soliciting external forces.”
Mao Ning also accused the two ministers of spreading disinformation about Chinese cyberattacks. In July, Paraguay and the US Embassy in Asuncion said cyberattacks linked to the Chinese government had compromised Paraguay's state systems, and China vehemently denied those accusations. The Paraguayan and Belizean governments did not immediately react to the sanctions.
Taipei and Washington respond
Taiwan's Foreign Ministry condemned Beijing for flagrant interference in the sovereignty and foreign policy of independent nations, saying the move violated the principles of international law. On Tuesday, 13 October, Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi told reporters at parliament in Taipei that China was extending transnational repression to Taiwan's allies. He referred to China when he said:
“Taiwan's international visibility is growing higher and higher, and they will be kept busy by this fact. Do they plan to sanction the whole world?”
The US State Department said the Trump Administration opposes coercion and aggression by China against countries in the hemisphere for exercising their sovereign rights. Spokesperson Tommy Pigott said in a statement:
“The Trump Administration opposes coercion and aggression by China against countries in our hemisphere for exercising their sovereign rights.”
Pigott cited earlier comments by Secretary of State Marco Rubio that the region will not become a base of operation for adversaries, competitors and rivals. The United States is Taiwan's most important international backer despite the lack of formal diplomatic ties.
Paraguay, Belize and Taiwan's remaining allies
Paraguay and Belize are two of the 12 countries that still maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, most of them small states in Central America, the Caribbean and the South Pacific, along with Eswatini and Vatican City. On Sunday, 11 October, Gustavo Villate posted on X a greeting to the Republic of China (Taiwan), saying Paraguay's friendship with Taiwan rests on shared values including human rights and democracy. Belize's embassy in Taipei marked 37 years of ties on Facebook on the morning of 12 October, shortly before the sanctions were announced.
Paraguay's President Santiago Peña visited Taiwan in May, when Beijing called on Asuncion to sever ties with Taipei. Nauru switched to Beijing in 2024 and Honduras in 2023, and Nicaragua has also switched allegiance. Beijing has sanctioned foreign figures over Taiwan before, including former US House Speaker Nancy Pelosi after her 2022 visit to the island.
Military pressure around Taiwan's National Day
On Saturday, 10 October, President Lai Ching-te said in a National Day speech that the island values peace but will not give up its freedom, and that defence spending aims to deter war rather than provoke it. China's Defence Ministry spokesperson Chen Xi accused Lai of hyping a mainland military threat and said the People's Liberation Army's regular drills around Taiwan are meant to deter independence moves.
Chinese maritime authorities issued navigation warnings for live-fire and other military drills in at least five sea areas, including the Bohai, Yellow, East China and South China seas, running from 12 to 17 October. Taiwan's Defence Minister Koo Li-hsiung said on 12 October that his government was fully aware of the situation and would keep watching it closely.