Paraguay's incoming president Santiago Pena said Wednesday the country would stand by Taiwan's side for the duration of his five-year term, reaffirming it as Taipei's lone diplomatic ally in South America.
Asuncion is one of the few remaining capitals in the wider Latin American region to still recognize Taiwan after Beijing, which claims the island as its territory, spent decades convincing Taipei's allies to switch sides.
Pena's trip to Taipei comes about five weeks before he will be inaugurated, and he said the timing was "not a coincidence".
"I come to... reaffirm my commitment, our commitment as Paraguayans to be on the side of the people of Taiwan for the next five years," he said in a speech at Taiwan's Presidential Office.
Pena also praised President Tsai Ing-wen for "knowing that principles and values are not negotiable" and said his administration would work with Taiwan on future investments to ensure "a mutual economic benefit for both nations".
The former finance minister had vowed on the campaign trail to continue recognizing Taiwan.
Pena's win in May soothed Taipei's fear that Paraguay would ditch ties with it in favor of Beijing, an increasingly common phenomenon as China raises the pressure on Taiwan.
From Taiwan to China
Panama, El Salvador, the Dominican Republic, Nicaragua and Honduras have all switched diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China in recent years.
Beijing does not permit its own diplomatic allies to also recognize Taipei, which only has formal alliances with 13 countries around the world.
Pena said he studied in Taiwan in 1999 and that he was bringing "the love and affection of all the Paraguayan people." He also extended an invitation to Tsai to visit Paraguay after she leaves office next year.
Tsai, having served two terms, is constitutionally barred from running for office again.
Vice President William Lai, who also met Pena on Wednesday, is the candidate for the ruling Democratic Progressive Party in January's election.
Chinese air, naval exercises
Tsai has been in office since 2016 and her two terms have been marked by a sharp deterioration in relations with an increasingly assertive China.
Beijing has refused to engage with her because she does not accept that the island is a part of China.
China has also ramped up its military presence around Taiwan, with its warplanes making near-daily incursions into Taipei's air defense zone and sending its vessels into waters around the island.
Taiwan's Ministry of National Defencs announced Wednesday that the Chinese military had conducted "long-range joint air and naval exercises" around in waters to the southeast.
"This morning, July 12, from 7 am to noon (2300 GMT Tuesday to 0400 GMT), 30 military aircraft were detected, including fighter jets, bombers, early-warning aircraft, ship-based helicopters and unmanned aerial vehicles," the ministry said.
It said 23 warplanes had crossed into Taiwan's air defense identification zone (ADIZ) and four Chinese navy vessels also conducted a "joint combat patrol."
Taiwan's armed forces are "closely monitoring the situation," the ministry said.
The ADIZ is not the same as Taiwan's territorial airspace and includes a far greater area that overlaps with part of China's own ADIZ and even some of the mainland itself.
China has staged massive wargames around the island in the past year, usually when Taiwanese officials were meeting with allies, particularly the United States.
In April, when Tsai was in California meeting US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, China launched three days of military exercises that included simulated targeted strikes and practicing a blockade around the island.
