The United States has criticised China’s sanctions against ministers from Belize and Paraguay, two countries that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The US State Department said it opposed what it characterised as Chinese coercion against countries exercising sovereign diplomatic choices. Beijing imposed the measures over the ministers’ ties to Taiwan, which China claims as its territory. Taipei rejects that position.
Reuters reported on October 13 that the sanctions were largely symbolic because ministers from Taiwan’s diplomatic allies generally do not travel to China. Belize and Paraguay are among Taiwan’s small remaining group of formal diplomatic partners.
The dispute illustrates Beijing’s efforts to limit Taiwan’s international recognition and Washington’s opposition to pressure on governments in the Americas. The article reports the governments’ positions without treating any one side’s sovereignty claims as an uncontested fact.
Sources
- https://www.reuters.com/world/china/us-says-it-opposes-chinese-coercion-after-belize-paraguay-ministers-sanctioned-2026-10-13/
- https://www.taipeitimes.com/News/taiwan/archives/2026/10/13/2003865894
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