TAOYUAN, Taiwan (AP) — Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen has hosted her Paraguayan counterpart at a military exercise in a sign of the island's determination to withstand China's diplomatic onslaught.
The joint land and air training exercise simulated an attempt by Chinese forces to attack a Taiwanese air base.
China claims Taiwan as its own territory and has been whittling away at the self-governing island's pool of diplomatic allies, leaving it now with just 17, including Paraguay.
Defense Ministry spokesman Chen Chong-chi said inviting Paraguayan President Mario Abdo Benitez to view the exercise alongside Tsai would "help strengthen the friendship between the two countries" and boost future civilian and military exchanges.
Taiwan and China separated amid civil war in 1949. Beijing has vowed to bring the island under its control by force if deemed necessary.
