China sanctions Paraguay, Belize officials over Taiwan ties

China on Oct. 12, 2026, sanctioned Paraguay's Minister of Information and Communication Technologies Gustavo Villate and Belize Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca over their countries' ties with Taiwan. The measures freeze assets in China, ban entry to mainland China, Hong Kong and Macao, and prohibit Chinese organizations and individuals from transactions or cooperation with them. They took effect the same day. Paraguay and Belize are two of 12 countries that still maintain formal relations with Taiwan. Paraguay has recognized Taiwan since 1957 and is its only South American ally. Speaking in Beijing, Foreign Ministry spokesperson Mao Ning called the officials "pawns" and said: "They have seriously interfered in China's internal affairs, spread false information about Chinese cyberattacks and attacked and smeared China, causing a bad international impact." She said: "Doing so has no future, (it) will only cause them to miss development opportunities." A ministry statement said certain anti-China politicians in Paraguay, driven by personal interests, had stubbornly upheld so-called diplomatic relations with Taiwan and harmed China's core interests. Villate met Taiwan Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi in June. Fonseca met Taiwan Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung in September. President Santiago Peña visited Taiwan in May 2026 and signed agreements on cybersecurity, judicial cooperation and AI infrastructure. On Oct. 11 the Belize embassy in Taiwan marked 37 years of ties. Honduras and Nauru severed ties with Taiwan in 2023 and 2024.