Belize’s foreign minister Francis Fonseca met his Taiwanese counterpart, Lin Chia-lung, in Belize last month. (AFP pic)BEIJING: China placed sanctions from Monday on Paraguay's communications minister as well as the foreign minister of Belize, over their countries' ties with Taiwan which Beijing claims as its own territory.
Paraguay and Belize are two of just 12 countries to maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan. China says Taiwan is one of its provinces with no right to the trappings of a state, a view Taipei's government strongly rejects.
The sanctions are largely symbolic given ministers from Taiwan's diplomatic allies generally never travel to China. Such sanctions have previously mainly been applied to Western politicians for their support of democratically governed Taiwan.
