Paraguay Walks Back Comment Calling for Taiwan Funding Support

President Abdo Benitez denies tying Taiwan support to aid
Abdo Benitez told Financial Times he wants Taiwan investment

Mario Abdo Benitez, Paraguay’s president, speaks during a panel session on the opening day of the World Economic Forum (WEF) in Davos, Switzerland, on Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2019. Source: Bloomberg

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By Ken Parks

September 29, 2022 at 5:54 PM UTC

This article is for subscribers only.

President Mario Abdo Benitez sought to defuse a diplomatic kerfuffle after he told the Financial Times that Taiwan should invest $1 billion in Paraguay if it wants to remain allies with the South American country.

In a webcast press conference Thursday, the day after the FT interview was published, Abdo Benitez denied conditioning his support for the Southeast Asian country, reiterating the nations will remain strategic allies during his government. The countries have to show Paraguayans benefits of that relationship because a future president might be less supportive of Taiwan, he added.