China on Monday announced sanctions on two Latin American officials over their governments' diplomatic relations with Taiwan: Paraguay's Communications Minister Gustavo Villate and Belize's Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca. The Chinese foreign ministry said the measures, which took effect the same day, were meant to safeguard national sovereignty and counter "Taiwan separatist activities".
The sanctions freeze the ministers' assets and property in China and deny them entry visas, including to Hong Kong and Macau. They also bar Chinese organisations and individuals from conducting transactions, cooperation or other activities with the two men. Beijing accused "certain anti-China politicians" of being "driven by self-interest" in pushing their countries to keep ties with Taipei, and said the ministers had taken "egregious actions and statements" that damage China's core interests.
The announcement came two days after Taiwan's National Day. Villate marked the occasion on social media, saying Paraguay "reaffirms its relationship of friendship and cooperation, based on shared values and principles: the self-determination of peoples, human rights and democracy". Belize's embassy in Taiwan also posted a message celebrating the 37th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two. Last month, Taiwan's Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung visited Belize, where his ministry said both sides agreed to deepen ties. Paraguayan President Santiago Pena, who has called Taiwan a "fundamental partner", visited Taipei earlier this year and signed agreements on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters, cybersecurity cooperation and AI and computing investment.
Paraguay, a landlocked country in South America, and Belize, a small Central American nation on the Caribbean coast, are among only 12 countries that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. Taiwan's other allies in the Americas are Guatemala and Haiti, along with several Caribbean island states. China claims Taiwan as its territory, a position the island's government strongly rejects, and Beijing has vowed to take control of it by force if necessary. Taipei says Beijing systematically tries to poach its remaining allies in order to isolate it.
The sanctions also follow a sharpening of rhetoric across the Taiwan Strait. In his National Day speech, Taiwanese President William Lai Ching-te said the island "cherishes peace" and will "not give up our freedom". China's Taiwan Affairs Office condemned the speech as distorting the truth and revealing "ulterior motives". In January, Chinese President Xi Jinping pledged to achieve "reunification", calling it "unstoppable".
The United States has no formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan but is bound by law to help provide the island with the means to defend itself. Earlier this month, Washington delivered two fighter jets to Taiwan as it works to build up defences against a feared attack from China.