<span style="color: #222222;">US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo held talks with Paraguay's President Mario Abdo Benitez as part of a four-nation tour of Latin American allies focusing heavily on Venezuela and countering China's economic reach. </span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">Pompeo arrived in Asuncion late Friday after talks with Chile's President Sebastian Pinera in Santiago that focused heavily on his country's developing trade relationship with China.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">In Asuncion, Pompeo praised Paraguay's support for US-backed opposition leader Juan Guaido in Venezuela, and its role in the Lima Group of mostly Latin American nations seeking a solution to the Venezuela crisis.</span><br />'' <br />'' <span style="color: #222222;">He said Paraguay is a leader in defending democracy and calling Maduro as he is, a tyrant who has ruined his country.</span><br />''