New Guatemalan Ambassador to Taiwan Oscar Adolfo Padilla Lam yesterday invited President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) to cohost a planned summit of states that maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei in the Central American nation.
Padilla said that as a staunch supporter of Taiwan, Guatemala had repeatedly expressed its support for the nation at bilateral and multilateral forums.
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei voiced support for Taiwan at the UN General Assembly in September, he said.
Photo: CNA
As a good friend of Taiwan, Guatemala is planning a summit in March of nations with which Taiwan has diplomatic relations, Padilla said.
The summit would serve as a platform for these allies to conduct closer exchanges with one another and to show their joint commitment to Taiwan, he said.
The summit would be hosted by Giammattei and the Guatemalan government had invited Tsai to cohost, he added.
“As Taiwan’s unchanging friend and ally, Guatemala intends to hold a high-level meeting of Taiwan-friendly countries in March to promote exchanges between friendly countries, and reaffirm recognition and support for the Republic of China, Taiwan,” Padilla said. “If President Tsai’s itinerary allows, I hope she can cochair such an important meeting with President Giammattei.”
The Guatemalan government has yet to release details of the planned summit, and it was not immediately clear if Tsai would travel to the nation and cohost.
Guatemala is one of 14 UN member states that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The ambassador made the remarks yesterday morning as he presented his credentials to Tsai during a ceremony at the Presidential Office.
Padilla had already presented a copy of his credentials to Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) on Nov. 11.
In her address, Tsai welcomed Padilla, describing him as an old friend of Taiwan and adding that he had first visited the nation in 1992.
Tsai said that she expected Padilla’s appointment to facilitate even closer bilateral relations on all fronts.
In a Presidential Office statement, Tsai did not say whether she would take up the invitation to cohost the summit.
Padilla previously served as Guatemala’s deputy minister of foreign affairs, as well as the nation’s consul general in Vancouver and Arizona, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The ambassador has visited Taiwan four times, including in 1996, when he took part in a foreign ministry-sponsored training program.
Additional reporting by Reuters
WAITING GAME: The US has so far only offered a ‘best rate tariff,’ which officials assume is about 15 percent, the same as Japan, a person familiar with the matter said Taiwan and the US have completed “technical consultations” regarding tariffs and a finalized rate is expected to be released soon, Executive Yuan spokeswoman Michelle Lee (李慧芝) told a news conference yesterday, as a 90-day pause on US President Donald Trump’s “reciprocal” tariffs is set to expire today. The two countries have reached a “certain degree of consensus” on issues such as tariffs, nontariff trade barriers, trade facilitation, supply chain resilience and economic security, Lee said. They also discussed opportunities for cooperation, investment and procurement, she said. A joint statement is still being negotiated and would be released once the US government has made
NEW GEAR: On top of the new Tien Kung IV air defense missiles, the military is expected to place orders for a new combat vehicle next year for delivery in 2028 Mass production of Tien Kung IV (Sky Bow IV) missiles is expected to start next year, with plans to order 122 pods, the Ministry of National Defense’s (MND) latest list of regulated military material showed. The document said that the armed forces would obtain 46 pods of the air defense missiles next year and 76 pods the year after that. The Tien Kung IV is designed to intercept cruise missiles and ballistic missiles to an altitude of 70km, compared with the 60km maximum altitude achieved by the Missile Segment Enhancement variant of PAC-3 systems. A defense source said yesterday that the number of
Taiwanese exports to the US are to be subject to a 20 percent tariff starting on Thursday next week, according to an executive order signed by US President Donald Trump yesterday. The 20 percent levy was the same as the tariffs imposed on Vietnam, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh by Trump. It was higher than the tariffs imposed on Japan, South Korea and the EU (15 percent), as well as those on the Philippines (19 percent). A Taiwan official with knowledge of the matter said it is a "phased" tariff rate, and negotiations would continue. "Once negotiations conclude, Taiwan will obtain a better
FLOOD RECOVERY: “Post-Typhoon Danas reconstruction special act” is expected to be approved on Thursday, the premier said, adding the flood control in affected areas would be prioritized About 200cm of rainfall fell in parts of southern Taiwan from Monday last week to 9am yesterday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Kaohsiung’s Taoyuan District (桃源) saw total rainfall of 2,205mm, while Pingtung County’s Sandimen Township (三地門) had 2,060.5mm and Tainan’s Nanhua District (南化) 1,833mm, according to CWA data. Meanwhile, Alishan (阿里山) in Chiayi County saw 1,688mm of accumulated rain and Yunlin County’s Caoling (草嶺) had 1,025mm. The Pingtung County Government said that 831 local residents have been pre-emptively evacuated from mountainous areas. A total of 576 are staying with relatives in low-lying areas, while the other 255 are in shelters. CWA forecaster
RSS