《TAIPEI TIMES 焦點》 Tsai looks for deeper business ties with Paraguay

/ Staff writer, with CNA

President Tsai Ing-wen （蔡英文） on Tuesday said she hoped Taiwan and Paraguay would tighten their industrial cooperation and that the South American ally could become a springboard into Latin America for Taiwanese businesses.

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“I hope that the industries on both sides will have more mutual exchanges and investment so that Paraguay can become an important base for Taiwanese companies to enter the market of the Americas,” Tsai said in a speech to Paraguay’s parliament.

She said that Paraguay is well-positioned to serve that role, because its industrial structure complements Taiwan’s and it lies at the heart of South America and is an important member of Mercosur, South America’s main trading bloc.

Tsai’s delegation includes several Taiwanese business representatives who are looking to build partnerships with their counterparts in Latin America.

To further boost bilateral ties, Tsai pledged that Taiwan would move to increase imports of beef products from Paraguay as long as the products comply with Taiwan’s quarantine conditions, giving Taiwanese consumers more choice of beef products.

The president also urged closer exchanges in education and announced that the government is doubling the number of scholarships for Paraguayans to study in Taiwan from 14 to 28.

She hoped that with more Paraguayan students in Taiwan, they and their Taiwanese counterparts would become goodwill ambassadors who help promote bilateral relations in the future.

Tsai said that next year would mark the 60th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries.

“Our friendship is based on the common values we share,” including freedom, democracy and human rights, Tsai said.

Taiwan’s practical diplomacy and the pursuit of a mutually beneficial relationship will be the foundation for relations between Taiwan and Paraguay and also be guiding principles as Taiwan continues to reach out into the world, she said.

Tsai also expressed her gratitude for having received a medal from Paraguayan President Horacio Cartes during their meeting at the Presidential Palace earlier in the day.

Cartes said the conferral of the nation’s top medal of honor on Tsai represented the Paraguayan government’s respect and friendliness toward Taiwan.

Tsai lauded Paraguay as a staunch ally of Taiwan and thanked it for speaking out in support of Taiwan in international organizations and forums.

Tsai also said she had exchanged views with Cartes on cooperative initiatives the Paraguayan president proposed during his visit to Taiwan last month and indicated that their talks have yielded some results.

The two countries have maintained close cooperative ties, particularly in economics and trade, since they established diplomatic ties in 1957, she said.

She proposed deepening those ties because of the complementary nature of the two countries’ industrial structures.

Given that Paraguay is a founding member of Mercosur and has abundant natural resources, plenty of land and a young, dynamic workforce, while Taiwan has mature technology, the two countries can work together to venture into the South American and Asian markets, she said.

Tsai is to leave Paraguay today for Los Angeles, where she will stay overnight before heading home to Taiwan tomorrow.

新聞來源：TAIPEI TIMES