Peña: Paraguay, a Green Energy Powerhouse, a Perfect Match for Taiwan's Chip Manufacturing [Exclusive Interview]
During an exclusive interview with the Central News Agency during his Taiwan visit, Paraguayan President Santiago Peña expressed his hope to deepen cooperation with Taiwan in high-tech, AI, and data center sectors, emphasizing that Paraguay's abundant green energy combined with Taiwan's advanced semiconductor manufacturing is a "perfect match."
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- 📰 Published: May 7, 2026 at 22:20
- 🔍 Collected: May 7, 2026 at 22:31 (10 min after Published)
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Central News Agency
(Central News Agency reporter Yang Yaoru, Taipei, 7th) Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, an ally in South America, stated in an exclusive interview with the Central News Agency today that he hopes to launch new collaborations with Taiwan in high-tech, artificial intelligence, and other fields. He emphasized that Paraguay, as a major green energy country, would be a "perfect match" if it could join forces with Taiwan's chip manufacturing.
Peña (also translated as Santiago Peña) led a delegation to Taiwan for a state visit from the 7th to the 10th and accepted an exclusive interview with the Central News Agency on his first day in Taiwan.
This is Peña's fourth visit to Taiwan and his second during his presidency. His first visit was in 1999 as a student, his second in 2023 as president-elect to ensure the Taiwanese government understood his appreciation for the Taiwanese people's views, and his third was to attend President Lai Ching-te's inauguration ceremony.
Peña explained that this state visit is a time to harvest the fruits of years of cooperation between Paraguay and Taiwan and will launch new cooperation projects, which are crucial for both Paraguay and Taiwan and share common interests, including high-tech, artificial intelligence (AI), and data centers.
Paraguay is a major green energy country. Peña mentioned that the development and operation of AI require a large and stable power supply. Paraguay is a leading country in hydropower generation, while Taiwan is a leading manufacturer of advanced process chips. If Taiwan's technology, knowledge, and manufacturing capabilities can be combined with Paraguay's power supply, it would undoubtedly be a unique win-win situation. "I think it will be a perfect match."
Peña's delegation included 39 Paraguayan business representatives, and an investment opportunity briefing will be held tomorrow. He said that Paraguay is not only an ally of Taiwan but also a strong economic partner, "outperforming other Latin American countries" economically. This provides the best economic environment for Taiwanese enterprises and is a window to Latin America and even the world.
According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) data, Paraguay's economic growth rate for 2024 is 4.2%, and it is expected to reach a 12-year high of 6.6% in 2025, with continued growth of 3.5% to 4.4% in 2026. Due to Paraguay's thriving agriculture, electricity exports, and manufacturing sectors, its average economic growth rate has been approximately 3.7% over the past 20 years.
Peña emphasized that Paraguay is growing rapidly, and its economic policies and political situation are very stable. Some say that the connection between Paraguay and Taiwanese companies is only based on diplomatic friendship, but this is not the case. "This is a very strong business connection."
When asked if he would have the opportunity to visit various cities and counties during his fourth visit to Taiwan, Peña said that he can only serve as president for five years, and his term is already halfway through. He hopes to do his presidential work well every minute and every second. He hopes to continue visiting Taiwan in the future to advocate for and nurture the diplomatic relationship between Paraguay and Taiwan, believing that there will be time in the future to visit various cities and counties in Taiwan and play golf. "This is beyond doubt." (Edited by: Lin Ken-lun) 1150507
(Central News Agency reporter Yang Yaoru, Taipei, 7th) Paraguayan President Santiago Peña, an ally in South America, stated in an exclusive interview with the Central News Agency today that he hopes to launch new collaborations with Taiwan in high-tech, artificial intelligence, and other fields. He emphasized that Paraguay, as a major green energy country, would be a "perfect match" if it could join forces with Taiwan's chip manufacturing.
Peña (also translated as Santiago Peña) led a delegation to Taiwan for a state visit from the 7th to the 10th and accepted an exclusive interview with the Central News Agency on his first day in Taiwan.
This is Peña's fourth visit to Taiwan and his second during his presidency. His first visit was in 1999 as a student, his second in 2023 as president-elect to ensure the Taiwanese government understood his appreciation for the Taiwanese people's views, and his third was to attend President Lai Ching-te's inauguration ceremony.
Peña explained that this state visit is a time to harvest the fruits of years of cooperation between Paraguay and Taiwan and will launch new cooperation projects, which are crucial for both Paraguay and Taiwan and share common interests, including high-tech, artificial intelligence (AI), and data centers.
Paraguay is a major green energy country. Peña mentioned that the development and operation of AI require a large and stable power supply. Paraguay is a leading country in hydropower generation, while Taiwan is a leading manufacturer of advanced process chips. If Taiwan's technology, knowledge, and manufacturing capabilities can be combined with Paraguay's power supply, it would undoubtedly be a unique win-win situation. "I think it will be a perfect match."
Peña's delegation included 39 Paraguayan business representatives, and an investment opportunity briefing will be held tomorrow. He said that Paraguay is not only an ally of Taiwan but also a strong economic partner, "outperforming other Latin American countries" economically. This provides the best economic environment for Taiwanese enterprises and is a window to Latin America and even the world.
According to International Monetary Fund (IMF) data, Paraguay's economic growth rate for 2024 is 4.2%, and it is expected to reach a 12-year high of 6.6% in 2025, with continued growth of 3.5% to 4.4% in 2026. Due to Paraguay's thriving agriculture, electricity exports, and manufacturing sectors, its average economic growth rate has been approximately 3.7% over the past 20 years.
Peña emphasized that Paraguay is growing rapidly, and its economic policies and political situation are very stable. Some say that the connection between Paraguay and Taiwanese companies is only based on diplomatic friendship, but this is not the case. "This is a very strong business connection."
When asked if he would have the opportunity to visit various cities and counties during his fourth visit to Taiwan, Peña said that he can only serve as president for five years, and his term is already halfway through. He hopes to do his presidential work well every minute and every second. He hopes to continue visiting Taiwan in the future to advocate for and nurture the diplomatic relationship between Paraguay and Taiwan, believing that there will be time in the future to visit various cities and counties in Taiwan and play golf. "This is beyond doubt." (Edited by: Lin Ken-lun) 1150507