Paraguay’s tech minister defies Beijing sanctions, says Taiwan ties ‘not up for negotiation’
Por Igor Patrick — South China Morning Post – News feed
Advertisement China-Latin America relations China Paraguay’s tech minister defies Beijing sanctions, says Taiwan ties ‘not up for negotiation’
Gustavo Villate, blacklisted alongside Belize’s foreign minister, suggests the move was retaliation for excluding Huawei and ZTE from 5G
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Igor Patrick in Rio de Janeiro Published: 5:43am, 17 Oct 2026
Paraguay’s technology minister said on Thursday that sanctions imposed on him by Beijing over his country’s ties with Taiwan would only accelerate joint projects with the island.
Gustavo Villate, who heads the Ministry of Information and Communication Technologies, wrote in a lengthy social media post that the relationship with Taipei would “never be on the negotiating table”.
He also suggested that Beijing had acted to protect Chinese telecoms suppliers kept out of Paraguay’s networks.
“This sanction is, at its core, a certification that what we have been doing since 2023 is the right path,” he wrote.
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