Taiwan condemns China over sanctions on ministers of diplomatic allies

Taipei, Oct. 12 (CNA) Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) on Monday condemned China's decision to sanction two ministers from Taiwan's diplomatic allies, whom Beijing described as "anti-China politicians."

Earlier Monday, China's Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced that it would bar Belizean Foreign Minister Francis Fonseca and Paraguayan Minister of Information Gustavo Villate from entering China and would freeze their assets and other property in the country.

The measures were taken against "certain anti-China politicians who have stubbornly supported their respective countries in maintaining so-called 'diplomatic ties' with China's Taiwan region and undermined China's core interests," the Chinese foreign ministry said in a statement.

The statement did not explain why the two ministers were singled out.

Belize and Paraguay are among the 12 countries that formally recognize Taipei rather than Beijing.

In response, MOFA described Beijing's sanctions as "preposterous" and a "blatant interference in other countries' sovereignty and diplomacy."

The action revealed China's "futile attempt to deploy political intimidation and transnational repression to coerce other countries into submission to its political agenda," MOFA said in a statement.

MOFA called the tactics "despicable" and said the behavior would only make Beijing's intent to undermine the international order clearer to the global community.

Taiwan has long maintained close ties with both Belize and Paraguay, the ministry said.

Taiwan will continue to work closely with all its diplomatic allies to deepen mutually beneficial cooperation and shared prosperity while jointly pushing back against authoritarian expansion, MOFA added.