Beijing Sanctioned Two Ministers for Standing With Taiwan. America Should Stand With Paraguay and Belize
China on Oct. 12 froze the assets of Paraguay's technology minister and Belize's foreign minister and banned them from entry, calling them Taiwan's "pawns." Both governments refused to budge. In our view, Washington's hemisphere-first policy means backing small democracies that resist coercion.
By Clara Hughes
ALTAS WORLD NEWS OPINION | By Clara Hughes, Chief Opinion Editor | October 13, 2026 | 6-min read Two days after Taiwan's National Day, Beijing punished two officials from our own hemisphere for standing with the island [1]. On Monday, China's foreign ministry announced sanctions on Paraguay's minister of information and communication technologies, Gustavo Villate, and Belize's foreign minister, Francis Fonseca, freezing their assets in China, barring Chinese organizations and individuals from dealing with them and banning them from entering China, Hong Kong and Macao [2][3]. Foreign ministry spokeswoman Mao Ning said the two had "willingly served as pawns" of Taiwan's authorities and that the measures were meant "to punish them and warn others," according to China's state broadcaster CGTN [2]. Paraguay and Belize answered with a word Beijing rarely hears from small countries: no. In our view, America should make sure they never regret it. Key Takeaways China sanctioned Paraguay's Gustavo Villate and Belize's Francis Fonseca on Oct. 12 over their countries' ties with Taiwan [2][3]. Paraguay rejected the measures, saying they create "unnecessary friction," and reaffirmed its support for Taiwan [4][5]. Belize said the measures "will not alter Belize's