NO PLACE on Earth is farther from Paraguay than Taiwan, its antipode. Yet Asunción, Paraguay’s steamy capital in the heart of South America, is full of symbols of friendship with an Asian island 20,000 km (12,400 miles) away.
In a leafy suburb looms a weathered statue of Chiang Kai-shek, who ran a Chinese government-in-exile in Taiwan until 1975. Not far away is the futuristic home of the Paraguayan Congress, built using Taiwanese funds in 2003. Just nearby is a replica of the Taipei 101 skyscraper. Unveiled in 2017 to mark 60 years of diplomatic ties, it is entwined with the national flowers of Taiwan (plum blossoms) and Paraguay (passion flowers).
United at first by anti-communist fervour, the two maintained a bond long past the end of the cold war. Today Taiwan sends Paraguay money, police vehicles and soap operas dubbed into Spanish, and trains students and army officers. Paraguay reciprocates with commodities, foodstuffs and diplomatic support.
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