President Tsai Ing-wen has continued her state visit to Paraguay, meeting with Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes and addressing the Paraguayan Congress on Tuesday.
During her meeting with Cartes, Tsai said that Paraguay can serve as Taiwan’s entry point to South American trade bloc Mercosur. At the same time, she said, Taiwan can become Paraguay’s launch pad into Asian markets.
Tsai and Cartes were also present at the signing of a bilateral aviation treaty. Cartes also presented Tsai with Paraguay’s top national medal during their meeting.
Later, Tsai traveled to the Paraguayan Congress building, constructed with Taiwanese funding during the administration of former Presdient Chen Shui-bian.
During her address to the Congress, Tsai spoke about Taiwan’s cooperation with Paraguay’s oldest university to raise the competitiveness of Paraguay’s beef industry. Tsai also said that Taiwan will be raising quotas on imports of Paraguayan beef, subject to Taiwanese rules on health and sanitation.
Paraguay is Taiwan’s sole diplomatic ally in South America. Tsai’s state visit to the country is the second and final leg of her overseas trip, which began with a stop in Panama.