ASUNCION (Paraguay): Japanese Prime Minister KISHIDA Fumio and Paraguayan President Santiago Pena shared on Friday their resolve not to allow any unilateral attempts to change the status quo by force in East Asia.

During their summit at the Paraguayan capital of Asuncion, the two leaders also agreed to boost cooperation in maintaining and strengthening international order, especially given China’s increasingly hegemonic moves. Paraguay is the only country in South America that has official diplomatic relations with Taiwan.

At a joint press conference after the talks, Pena said that Japan and Paraguay share the same values, such as freedom and the rule of law. He also voiced hopes that the two nations will continue to forge cooperative relations in a wide range of fields.

Kishida said that the importance of partners sharing the same values and principles is growing at a time when the international community is facing a polycrisis.

Paraguay holds the presidency of the Mercosur trade bloc in South America, which also includes Brazil, for the first half of 2024.

The two leaders affirmed the importance of cooperation between Japan and the Mercosur framework and agreed to further deepen the ties.

Japan and Paraguay also exchanged memorandums of cooperation in the telecommunications and space fields involving both the public and private sectors.

Kishida and Pena exchanged views on other global issues, such as disarmament, nonproliferation and UN Security Council reform.

Kishida was the first Japanese prime minister to visit Paraguay since then Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in 2018.

JIJI Press