{"id":1924035,"date":"2023-05-04T05:10:54","date_gmt":"2023-05-04T09:10:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paraguay-conservatives-election-victory-hinders-chinas-bid-for-regional-dominance\/"},"modified":"2023-05-04T05:15:16","modified_gmt":"2023-05-04T09:15:16","slug":"paraguay-conservatives-election-victory-hinders-chinas-bid-for-regional-dominance","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paraguay-conservatives-election-victory-hinders-chinas-bid-for-regional-dominance\/","title":{"rendered":"Paraguay&#8217;s conservative win blocks China&#8217;s regional dominance bid."},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">16<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fparaguay-conservatives-election-victory-hinders-chinas-bid-for-regional-dominance%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=1924035&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><h2>Conservative Candidate Santiago Pe\u00f1a Wins Paraguay Election, Maintains Ties with Taiwan<\/h2>\n<div class=\"post_content\">\n<div class=\"aplayer_app\" data-source=\"https:\/\/vs1.youmaker.com\/assets\/2023\/0502\/a0bb84e1-a858-445a-ae37-fae39cc43e90\/audio.mp3?length=5401197&#038;duration=450\"><\/div>\n<p>On April 30, conservative presidential candidate Santiago Pe\u00f1a won a major victory in Paraguay, strengthening the hold of the Colorado Party as a new wave of leftist leadership has emerged in the region over the past two years.<\/p>\n<p>Beyond Paraguay\u2019s borders, the geopolitical implications of the election win are significant. This is especially true for the U.S.\u2013China struggle over prevailing influence in Latin America.<\/p>\n<p>Taiwan\u2019s last remaining diplomatic ally on the continent also hung in the balance on the election\u2019s outcome. Leftist opposition, along with Paraguay\u2019s agricultural and beef lobbies, have pushed for a switch of allegiance to China in recent months.<\/p>\n<p>Latin America and Taiwan share a commonality in the U.S.\u2013China power struggle.<\/p>\n<p>Both locations have become a geopolitical proving ground, with Latin America serving as a testament to the Chinese Communist Party\u2019s (CCP) goal of dominating commerce and trade in the West.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_5180627\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/04\/08\/id5180627-LYNXMPEJ3701I_CHINA-TAIWAN-e1681107176931-1200x720.jpg\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2023\/04\/08\/id5180627-LYNXMPEJ3701I_CHINA-TAIWAN-e1681107176931-1200x720.jpg\" alt=\"Chinese warship fires at a target during a military drill near Fuzhou, Fujian Province, near the Taiwan-controlled Matsu islands that are close to the Chinese coast on April 8, 2023. (Thomas Peter\/Reuters)\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n\t<\/figure>\n<p>On the other side is Taiwan, the target of military muscle flexing by China. The CCP has conducted multiple \u201ctraining exercises\u201d near the island nation\u2019s shores in recent weeks.<\/p>\n<p>Since February, China\u2019s show of force near Taiwan has prompted the most significant U.S. military buildup in the neighboring Philippines since the end of the Cold War.<\/p>\n<h2>Borrowed Time<\/h2>\n<p>A flip in Paraguay\u2019s diplomatic relations in favor of Beijing would have been a symbolic victory for CCP leader Xi Jinping, regional experts say.<\/p>\n<p>They predicted the loss of its only remaining diplomatic tie in South America might erode Taiwan\u2019s leadership and demoralize its citizens before the 2024 presidential election.<\/p>\n<p>Pe\u00f1a\u2019s victory in Paraguay has allayed that concern for the moment, but some analysts say Taiwan may be on borrowed time.<\/p>\n<p>\u201c<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This is a temporary respite, but not an \u2018everything is OK\u2019 kind of thing,\u201d <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Evan Ellis, a research professor of Latin American studies at the U.S. Army War College Strategic Studies Institute, told The Epoch Times.\u00a0<\/span>\u201c<span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Certainly, this was very good news for Taiwan, for the next few years \u2026 but Taiwan isn\u2019t out of the woods.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n<p>Pe\u00f1a\u2019s pledge to maintain ties with Taiwan aside, Ellis believes the Colorado Party could switch diplomatic allegiance to China in the long term.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u201cThe Chinese do lose battles, and when they do, they come back and find a different way to come at the problem,\u201d he said.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>China may not have to wait long. The pressure is on for Pe\u00f1a to turn around Paraguay\u2019s struggling economy. Prolonged drought has affected agricultural and hydropower exports over the past five years. This is further compounded by \u201cpoor performance\u201d from trade partners, inflation, and economic fallout from the COVID-19 pandemic.<\/p>\n<figure id=\"attachment_4200405\" style=\"width: 600px\" class=\"wp-caption alignnone\">\n\t\t<a href=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/01\/08\/GettyImages-501901410-1200x801.jpeg\"><br \/>\n\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/img.theepochtimes.com\/assets\/uploads\/2022\/01\/08\/GettyImages-501901410-1200x801.jpeg\" alt=\"View of the Itaipu hydroelectric dam, on the Parana River, Alto Parana, in the Paraguay-Brazil border, on Dec. 18, 2015. (Norberto Duarte\/AFP via Getty Images)\"><figcaption class=\"wp-caption-text\"><noscript><\/noscript><\/figcaption><\/a><br \/>\n\t<\/figure>\n<p>Gross domestic product growth in Paraguay tumbled to just 0.7 percent between 2019 and 2022 from the annual average of 4.4 percent between 2003 and 2018, according to the World Bank.<\/p>\n<p>The nation\u2019s agricultural and beef sectors are expected to continue pressing for a diplomatic shift away from Taiwan to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/intelligence-community-assessment-on-covid-19-origins-ignored-readily-available-information\/\" title=\"Intelligence Community Assessment on COVID-19 Origins Ignored Readily Available Information\">gain direct access<\/a> to China\u2019s sizable markets. Paraguay\u2019s anchor commodities\u2014such as soy and beef\u2014currently arrive in China through a third party, such as Argentina. But this approach limits both the profitability and reach of Paraguay\u2019s key exports.<\/p>\n<p>But if the South American nation drops its allegiance with Taiwan down the road, some say it won\u2019t hit as hard as the CCP hopes.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cTaiwain relies, most heavily, not on formal allies. It\u2019s the informal relationships that matter the most,\u201d Lev Nachman, a nonresident fellow of the Atlantic Council\u2019s Global China Hub, said during an April 28 event.<\/p>\n<p>Nachman stressed that countries like the United States\u2014Taiwan\u2019s most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/paraguays-conservative-election-win-snarls-chinas-bid-for-regional-dominance\/\" title=\"Paraguay's conservative victory hinders China's regional dominance.\">significant informal relationship\u2014carry<\/a> the most weight regarding support.<\/p>\n<p>He further noted that while the loss of formal allies is a \u201cbad look\u201d for Taipei, \u201cit\u2019s also important to remember Taiwan is still able to function as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trump-warns-china-will-invade-taiwan-after-seeing-russia-move-into-ukraine\/\" title=\"Trump Warns China Will Invade Taiwan After Seeing Russia Move Into Ukraine\">de facto independent country<\/a> without formal diplomatic allies.\u201d<\/p>\n<h2>New Opportunities<\/h2>\n<p>A consistent echo heard among U.S.\u2013China trade analysts is the value U.S. investments and sponsorships provide over its CCP rivals.<\/p>\n<p>One of these is currently in the works with the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) division of the USDA has proposed a rule that, if approved, would allow the entry of Paraguay\u2019s burgeoning beef industry to U.S. markets.<\/p>\n<p>If the USDA proposal is enacted, it would likely put European beef markets within Paraguay\u2019s reach, too.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe U.S. Department of Agriculture published the proposed rule to allow the importation of fresh beef from Paraguay to solicit input on the proposed action, and we encourage all stakeholders and interested individuals to submit their input as formal comments before the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/federal-agency-comes-closer-to-gas-stove-ban\/\" title=\"Federal Agency Comes Closer to Gas Stove Ban\">comment period closes<\/a> on May 26, 2023,\u201d an APHIS spokesperson at the USDA told The Epoch Times.<\/p>\n<p>They also noted there\u2019s no set timetable for the pending approval of Paraguayan beef imports.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Conservative presidential candidate Santiago Pe\u00f1a won a major victory in Paraguay on April 30, strengthening the hold of the Colorado Party as a new wave of leftist leadership has emerged in the region over the past two years. Beyond Paraguay\u2019s borders, the geopolitical implications of the election win are significant. This is especially true for<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":334,"featured_media":1924036,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[543],"tags":[7564,6183,5909,4914,18204,25653,21696,7627],"class_list":["post-1924035","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-epoch-times","tag-bid","tag-blocks","tag-chinas","tag-conservative","tag-dominance","tag-paraguays","tag-regional","tag-win"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/cndimages.nyc3.digitaloceanspaces.com\/breaking-news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/01\/IMG_2758-scaled-1.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1924035","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/334"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1924035"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1924035\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/1924036"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1924035"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1924035"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1924035"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}