China imposes countermeasures on Belize and Paraguay ministers
Date of publication: October 15, 2026
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the People's Republic of China has issued Orders No. 22 and No. 21 imposing countermeasures under the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law against Francis Fonseca, Belize's Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology, and Gustavo Emigdio Villate Samaniego, Paraguay's Minister of Communications and Technology, in response to actions it states have harmed China's core interests.
The new measures introduce:
- Two individuals added to China's countermeasure list: Francis Fonseca, Belizean national and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade, Education, Culture, Science and Technology of Belize; and Gustavo Emigdio Villate Samaniego, Paraguayan national and Minister of Communications and Technology of Paraguay.
- A freeze on all their movable, immovable and other types of assets located within China's territory.
- A prohibition on organizations and individuals in China from conducting transactions, cooperation or other activities with them.
- A visa ban, including refusal to issue visas and denial of entry into China, covering the Hong Kong and Macao Special Administrative Regions.
These decisions, adopted pursuant to Articles 3, 4, 6, 9 and 15 of the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law of the People's Republic of China, were promulgated by Ministry of Foreign Affairs Orders No. 22 and No. 21 on 12 October 2026 and take effect from 12 October 2026.
Conclusion
These measures apply the Anti-Foreign Sanctions Law to senior government officials of countries that keep diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The transaction ban applies to all organizations and individuals within China, which creates direct compliance obligations for businesses operating in China.
Companies should promptly update their restricted party screening and sanctions compliance procedures to include the newly listed individuals. They should also apply enhanced due diligence to any transactions, cooperation or other dealings that may involve them, whether directly or indirectly.
These changes have been updated in ONESOURCE Global Trade Content. For more information on how ONESOURCE Global Trade solutions can assist you in managing restricted party screening, please contact your Account Manager or Customer Success Manager.