On Monday, the Chinese Foreign Ministry announced that it has imposed sanctions on two high-ranking officials from Paraguay and Belize. The individuals named are Gustavo Villate, Paraguay’s minister of information and communication technologies, and Francis Fonseca, Belize’s minister of foreign affairs, foreign trade, education, culture, science and technology.

Beijing stated that these actions were taken in direct response to the two nations strengthening their diplomatic ties with Taiwan. China, which claims Taiwan as part of its territory, frequently uses economic and diplomatic pressure to discourage other countries from maintaining official relations with the self-governing island. The sanctions against Villate and Fonseca include the freezing of any assets they may hold within China and a prohibition on their entry into the country.

While the Chinese government framed the move as a necessary response to protect its sovereignty, the governments of Paraguay and Belize have not yet issued formal responses to the specific sanctions. The move follows a series of recent diplomatic shifts in the region, as Taiwan continues to compete with Beijing for international recognition. The sanctions represent a targeted approach by Beijing to penalize specific individuals involved in the administration of foreign policy in countries that maintain ties with Taipei.