Paraguay election result calms fear of another Taiwan ally falling (for now)

FILE PHOTO: Paraguayan presidential candidate Santiago Pena from the ruling Colorado Party celebrates at the party headquarters as he and his running mate Pedro Alliana won Paraguay's presidential race, according to the preliminary official count, in Asuncion, Paraguay April 30, 2023. REUTERS/Agustin Marcarian/File Photo

News of Santiago Pena's election victory in Paraguay will be cheered by officials in Taiwan, which faces an uphill battle against China's economic muscle to keep its remaining 13 allies worldwide, including its last in South America.

Pena, who scored a sizeable win in Sunday's presidential ballot, pledged throughout the election campaign to defend Paraguay's almost 70-year diplomatic relations with democratically-ruled Taiwan, which China claims as its own.