On October 12, 2026, Chinese official authorities announced that, effective immediately, countermeasures would be imposed on Villate, Paraguay's Minister of Communications and Technology. The sanctions include freezing his assets within China, prohibiting organizations and individuals in China from conducting transactions and cooperation with him, and banning him from entering mainland China as well as the Hong Kong and Macao special administrative regions. Outside observers analyze that this move is related to Paraguay's insistence on maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan.