By Breaking Belize News Staff (HP): China has imposed sanctions on Belize’s Minister of Foreign Affairs, Francis Fonseca, over Belize’s diplomatic relationship with Taiwan, according to Al Jazeera.
The report, citing AFP and Reuters, says China’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced the measures on Monday, October 12. They took effect the same day.
Paraguay’s Communications Minister Gustavo Villate was also sanctioned.
According to Al Jazeera, the measures include freezing the ministers’ assets in China and denying them entry visas to Hong Kong and Macau. Chinese organizations and individuals are also barred from doing business or cooperating with them.
Beijing said the sanctions were about safeguarding China’s national sovereignty and opposing what it called Taiwan separatist activities. The Chinese Foreign Ministry claimed the ministers had made statements and taken actions damaging to China’s core interests.
These are China’s characterizations. Belize and Paraguay are among the 12 countries that maintain formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, a relationship Belize has held for 37 years.
It was not immediately clear whether the Government of Belize had responded to the sanctions.
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