China ramps up rhetoric to attack Paraguay president's Taiwan visit

China has ramped up its rhetoric against Paraguay's diplomatic relations with Taiwan, calling Paraguay's President and his colleagues "pawns to separatist forces" with "ulterior motives". China claims Taiwan as its own territory and says Paraguay has reaped limited economic benefit from their relationship. China's foreign ministry spokesperson stated that opinion polls show over 90% of Paraguayans support establishing relations with Beijing, making it unpopular to maintain ties with Taiwan.