巴拉圭共和國

位於南美洲的心臟地帶,是台灣在南美洲唯一邦交國。在歷經COVID-19的影響後,巴拉圭經濟在 2021年反彈,達到4.2%的成長率。但也同樣在2022年迎來通膨,民生受到不小的衝擊,進而使毒品產業有機可乘。巴拉圭是南美最大的大麻生產國,也是當地古柯鹼的重要中轉站。毒品和黑幫勢力相當猖狂,2022年甚至有一名緝毒檢察官在哥倫比亞度蜜月時被處決,還有一名市長在辦公室外被槍殺。國會議員呼籲政府盡快解決毒品問題,否則巴拉圭將會成為毒品之國。近期希望打造南美最大的生質燃料工廠,預計該工廠將在 10 年內為巴拉圭的 GDP 貢獻超過 80 億美元。但環保團體擔心此工廠將會破壞當地生態,目前正在協商中。
看2022位於南美洲的心臟地帶,脫離西班牙殖民後經歷拉丁美洲史上最慘烈的戰爭─巴拉圭戰爭,折損超過一半的成年男性人口,經過數十年才從混亂和人口損失中恢復。夾在南美洲大國中間,其政治、經濟、文化各方面皆受巴西相當大的影響。是台灣在南美洲唯一邦交國,現有數千名台商於巴拉圭和巴西交界的東方市做生意。2021年曾傳出中國希望以COVID-19疫苗換取邦交,被巴拉圭政府拒絕。
Year Founded: 1811
Known as the Heart of South America, Paraguay experienced the disastrous Paraguayan War after gaining independence from Spain. More than half of the male population died. It took decades for Paraguay to recover from the war. It is bordered by much larger countries, like Brazil, which heavily influence its politics, economy, and culture. It is Taiwan's only diplomatic ally in South America. Thousands of Taiwanese businessmen are doing business in Ciudad del Este, Paraguay, adjacent to its border with Brazil. In 2021, China offered Covid-19 vaccines in exchange for diplomatic relations with Paraguay, but the offer was rejected by their government.