President Tsai Ing-wen landed Jan. 11 in Guatemala on the third leg of her nine-day official visit to four Republic of China (Taiwan) diplomatic allies in Central America, including Honduras, Nicaragua and El Salvador in that order.
Tsai, who was welcomed by Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Raul Morales at La Aurora International Airport in the capital Guatemala City, walked the red-carpet before inspecting a military honor guard. She later departed for a meeting with Guatemalan President Jimmy Morales and Vice President Jafeth Cabrera at the National Palace of Culture.
The president said she was eager to get to know Guatemala through this first-ever trip to the Central American nation and extend the warm hand of friendship of the government and people of Taiwan to Morales, the government and people of Guatemala. It is also an outstanding opportunity to further expand two-way trade and investment ties, she added.
Following talks, Tsai received Guatemala’s highest national honor—the Order of the Quetzal in the grade of the Grand Collar—from Morales and conferred upon him the ROC's Order of Brilliant Jade with Grand Cordon. The pair then staged a joint news conference.
Taiwan and Guatemala enjoy a long diplomatic relationship dating back over 80 years, Tsai said, adding that the two sides have planned and implemented a series of successful joint projects in line with Morales’ policy priorities of education, infrastructure and health care.
According to the president, Taiwan will foster more dialogue and collaboration opportunities with Guatemala in the areas of agricultural technology, culture, infrastructure and tourism. It is expected that bilateral relations will become a shining example of what can be achieved through the government’s steadfast diplomacy approach, which aims to promote mutual benefits and reciprocity, she said.
As a token of the warm friendship of the government and people of Taiwan, Tsai donated medical supplies and 1,000 Taiwan-made school bags. She also pledged the delivery of 30,000 more to support the charity work of Guatemalan first lady Patricia Marroquin.
The president said Taiwan is willing and able to contribute to the global community, a fact underscored by the government’s active participation in such U.N. specialized agencies as the International Civil Aviation Organization, U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change and World Health Assembly, the decision-making body of the World Health Organization, as well as the World Trade Organization. The country is deeply grateful to Guatemala for its support in this regard, she added.
During the remainder of the president’s second overseas trip since taking office May 20, 2016, Tsai will meet with El Salvador President Salvador Sanchez Ceren and inspect joint cooperation projects in that country. She is scheduled to return to Taiwan Jan. 15 after a stopover in San Francisco. (SFC-E)
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