Taiwan and Paraguay Sign 3 Cooperation Agreements to Deepen Cooperation in Justice, Cybersecurity and AI Infrastructure
Taiwan and Paraguay Sign 3 Cooperation Agreements to Deepen Cooperation in Justice, Cybersecurity and AI Infrastructure
Following a military welcome ceremony hosted by President Ching-Te Lai on the morning of the 8th for President Santiago Peña Palacios of the Republic of Paraguay, President Lai and Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao held bilateral talks with President Peña at the Presidential Office. The leaders also jointly witnessed the signing of 3 cooperation agreements: the Taiwan–Paraguay Treaty on Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, a memorandum of understanding on Cybersecurity Cooperation, and a memorandum of understanding on the Paraguay–Taiwan Sovereign AI and Computing Infrastructure Investment Project.
President Lai welcomed President Peña's delegation and thanked him for attending his and Vice President Hsiao's inauguration 2 years ago. Lai noted that Taiwan and Paraguay share more than 6 decades of diplomatic ties and similar democratic transition experiences. President Lai emphasized that freedom and dignity must be continuously practiced and defended. Since President Peña took office, Paraguay's foreign policy framework has received international recognition and produced strong results, enabling both countries to expand cooperation in smart healthcare, industrial transformation, women's empowerment and other fields.
President Lai highlighted growing economic ties, noting that Taiwan was Paraguay's 3rd-largest beef export market last year, while Paraguayan beef ranked second among Taiwan’s imported beef. Taiwan is also Paraguay's largest pork export market. He announced that Taiwan will formally open its market to Paraguayan poultry, giving Taiwanese consumers more quality choices and further deepening bilateral trade. Lai said the newly signed agreements will strengthen cooperation against transnational crime, enhance cyber defense capabilities, and combine Taiwan's AI technology with Paraguay's abundant green energy to transform electricity into computing power essential to smart nations.
President Peña thanked President Lai for the invitation and the people of Taiwan for their warm reception, saying the visit reflected the close friendship between the 2 countries. He said Taiwan is a place he deeply respects for its identity, cultural values and resilience. Since July 1957, Paraguay and Taiwan have built a sincere, loyal and uninterrupted friendship grounded in mutual trust and respect. Peña reaffirmed Paraguay's firm support for Taiwan's participation in the international multilateral system, calling on the international community to recognize the Taiwanese people's right to self-determination. He said Taiwan's exclusion from key platforms such as the United Nations is unjust and weakens their legitimacy.
President Peña also condemned the People's Republic of China's military exercises around Taiwan and its increasing economic pressure, including alleged coercive actions disrupting President Lai's planned visits to allied countries. He stressed that Taiwan has the right to engage freely with other nations without improper interference. On bilateral cooperation, Peña said the Taiwan-Paraguay strategic partnership is based on a structural and long-term framework aimed at strengthening industrial capacity, introducing technological innovation and expanding access to international markets. He welcomed Taiwan's decision to open its market to Paraguayan poultry and said cooperation is advancing toward innovation and strategic investment, including AI computing infrastructure and the Taiwan-Paraguay University of Technology project. After the meeting, President Lai and President Peña witnessed the signing of the three agreements by ministers from both governments.
