Lai Ching-te welcomed Pena with military honors at the presidential office in Taipei, including a ceremonial parade and cannon salute, before bilateral talks focused on political and economic cooperation.“Taiwan and Paraguay are partners firmly committed to the values of democracy, freedom and human rights,” Lai said during the ceremony, thanking Paraguay for supporting Taiwan’s participation on the international stage.

Pena reaffirmed Paraguay’s diplomatic backing for Taiwan, describing the relationship as a strategic alliance grounded in shared democratic principles.“Paraguay deeply values this relationship and reaffirms its commitment to continue supporting Taiwan,” Pena said.

Taiwan currently maintains formal diplomatic relations with only 12 countries after decades of pressure from China, which regards Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes any official recognition of the island’s government.Beijing has steadily persuaded countries to switch diplomatic recognition from Taipei to Beijing through economic and political incentives, reducing Taiwan’s international footprint, particularly in Latin America and the Pacific.

Pena’s delegation includes senior government officials and business representatives, reflecting efforts to deepen trade, investment and technological cooperation between the two sides.

Since arriving on Thursday, Pena has met Taiwan’s vice president and cabinet officials and received an honorary doctorate from National Taiwan University of Science and Technology, which he described as a symbol of the countries’ “solid alliance.”The visit comes shortly after Lai returned from a diplomatic trip to Eswatini, Taiwan’s sole diplomatic ally in Africa.

Taiwan’s foreign ministry recently accused China of pressuring Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar to revoke overflight permissions for Lai’s original itinerary to Eswatini, forcing him to alter travel arrangements and use the aircraft of Eswatini’s king.

Lai’s administration has sought to strengthen ties with remaining diplomatic partners while expanding informal relations with Western democracies, particularly the United States and European countries.Taiwan’s last major overseas diplomatic tour took place in November 2024, when Lai visited Pacific allies and transited through Guam, a U.S. territory.

Reports last year suggested the administration of Donald Trump denied Lai permission to transit through New York during a planned Latin America trip, though Taiwan’s foreign ministry denied those claims.

In December 1982, a coordinated act of sabotage targeted the Koeberg Nuclear Power Station, a key infrastructure project of apartheid-era South Africa. The operation, carried out by South African national Rodney Wilkinson, involved the placement of four explosive devices inside the facility, which detonated over a period of approximately 12 hours without causing casualties.

Wilkinson, acting alongside an associate identified as Gray, had earlier obtained approximately 200 pages of technical drawings related to the nuclear installation. These documents were subsequently transported out of South Africa and into Zimbabwe, where they came under the scrutiny of intelligence operatives linked to the Zimbabwe People’s Revolutionary Army (ZIPRA), the armed wing of the liberation movement associated with Zimbabwe’s independence struggle.

According to accounts attributed to Jeremy Brickhill, who was based in Harare at the time, the pair drew attention due to their lack of political background and the sensitivity of the materials they carried. Brickhill, a former member of the Rhodesian military who had joined guerrilla forces, was overseeing a network monitoring South African exiles entering Zimbabwe.

One of his operatives, identified as Jackie Cahi, facilitated contact by hosting Wilkinson and Gray and reporting their activities over several weeks.In early 1981, Brickhill arranged an encounter under informal circumstances. During a social gathering organised by Cahi, he introduced himself to Wilkinson and initiated a conversation that escalated into a confrontation during a car journey.

Brickhill later stated that the exchange, which involved erratic behaviour by Wilkinson, convinced him of Wilkinson’s authenticity and commitment.Following this assessment, Wilkinson and Gray were relocated to a safe house and underwent training in operational methods, including counter-surveillance and secure communication. Wilkinson subsequently transferred the technical documents to Brickhill, marking a transition from initial contact to active collaboration.

The operation that followed involved the use of limpet mines, compact explosive devices equipped with timed fuses. According to the account, these devices had a maximum delay of 24 hours once activated. The mines were reportedly modified to include thermite, an incendiary substance capable of burning at temperatures exceeding 2,000 degrees Celsius, enabling not only explosive impact but also sustained fire damage.

The target selection focused on critical components of the Koeberg facility. The site consisted of two reactors housed in separate containment structures, with interconnected control systems. Instructions given to Wilkinson included placing devices on both reactor heads and within cabling systems linked to the control rooms, with the intention of maximising operational disruption.Security at the facility presented multiple challenges.

Access to certain areas required passing through vehicle inspections, guarded checkpoints and controlled entry points where personnel were required to change into designated clothing. Despite these measures, Wilkinson was able to enter the site and position the devices as instructed.Following the placement of the explosives, Wilkinson exited the facility and left the country. His route included travel through Swaziland, now known as Eswatini, where he attempted to establish contact with a superior identified as Rashid, believed to be based in Maputo.

Communication difficulties arose due to differences in telephone signalling systems between countries, which delayed confirmation of the operation’s outcome.Wilkinson eventually reached Maputo, where he was informed that all four devices had detonated successfully. The explosions occurred sequentially between the afternoon of December 18 and the early hours of December 19, 1982. The timing coincided with periods when sections of the facility were largely unoccupied, as the site was still under construction and commissioning rather than active operation.

No injuries were reported, and the damage was confined to infrastructure within the plant. The incident highlighted vulnerabilities in the security of critical installations during the period and underscored the extent to which anti-apartheid operatives were prepared to target state infrastructure.Later accounts indicate that Wilkinson lived a relatively low-profile life following the incident. He reportedly experienced health complications, including lung damage attributed to tuberculosis, and continued to reside in South Africa. His activities during the apartheid period remained largely unknown to the broader public.

The Koeberg sabotage forms part of a wider history of targeted operations conducted by anti-apartheid groups seeking to disrupt the economic and administrative systems of the state. The incident is documented in oral histories and accounts related to Umkhonto we Sizwe (MK), the armed wing of the African National Congress, though specific operational details vary across sources.

Lai announced his arrival in a Facebook post, saying he had received a warm welcome despite the delay. “Although we are a few days late, the people of Eswatini have still given us the warmest and most enthusiastic welcome,” he wrote.

Taiwan’s government said in April that Seychelles, Mauritius and Madagascar had unilaterally revoked flight permits for Lai’s aircraft to cross airspace under their control during a planned trip to Eswatini, one of Taiwan’s 12 remaining diplomatic allies.

Taipei blamed Beijing for pressuring the three countries, though China did not publicly comment on the allegation. Beijing views Taiwan as part of its territory and opposes any official exchanges between Taipei and countries maintaining diplomatic ties with the island.

Lai said Eswatini had remained firm despite diplomatic and economic pressure and had continued to support Taiwan’s international participation through “concrete actions.”Eswatini is the only African nation that maintains formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan, making the visit symbolically significant as Beijing continues efforts to isolate Taipei on the global stage.

Lai will attend celebrations marking the 40th anniversary of Mswati III’s accession to the throne and his 58th birthday, according to spokesperson Karen Kuo. The visit will be Lai’s first overseas trip since November 2024.

Taiwan, which China claims as its own territory and opposes maintaining formal diplomatic ties with, now has official relations with only 12 countries, most of them smaller nations in Latin America, the Caribbean and the Pacific, including Belize and Tuvalu.

The visit to Eswatini, a landlocked country largely surrounded by South Africa, avoids the need for transit through the United States, a route often required for Taiwan’s diplomatic visits to Latin America and one that typically draws strong protest from Beijing.

Lai last traveled abroad in November 2024, when he visited the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Palau, transiting through Hawaii and the U.S. territory of Guam.Taiwan has maintained close ties with Eswatini, providing development assistance and humanitarian support.

In 2021, Taipei sent antiviral medication to aid King Mswati III’s recovery from COVID-19.The previous visit by a Taiwanese president to Eswatini took place in 2023, when former leader Tsai Ing-wen traveled to the kingdom.