Guatemala will continue its support for Taiwan through concrete action, Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Ramiro Martinez said on Wednesday at an event in Guatemala City to mark 90 years of diplomatic ties between the two countries.
Taiwan was represented by Ambassador to Guatemala Vivia Chang (張俊菲) at the event at the Guatemalan Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
The Republic of China (ROC) and Guatemala established diplomatic relations in 1934, with Taiwan establishing its first consulate general there in 1935, followed by a foreign legation in 1954 and an embassy in October 1960, Martinez said.
Photo: CNA
On Sept. 22, 2005, Taiwan and Guatemala signed a free-trade agreement, which took effect on July 1, 2006, he said.
The two countries signed a memorandum of understanding for technical cooperation on Oct. 31 last year, a basic Taiwan-Guatemala cooperation agreement in April last year and an agreement of mutual recognition in May 2021, Martinez said.
The agreements are the foundation for greater bilateral economic trade, provide opportunities for Guatemala’s exports and establish strategic partnerships across industries, he said.
Martinez thanked Taiwan for its support in education, healthcare, agriculture and other sectors.
Taiwan is not only a partner, but also a strategic investor in Guatemala’s economy, promoting growth in areas such as manufacturing, ecology and trade, Martinez said.
Taiwan and Guatemala’s 90 years of diplomatic ties have developed a comprehensive and mutually beneficial partnership, Martinez said, adding that Guatemala would continue to be a strong supporter of Taiwan.
Ninety is more than just a number — it represents a deep friendship and shared vision, Chang said.
Taiwan thanked Guatemala for supporting its admission to international organizations such as the WHO, the UN, this year’s UN Climate Change Conference and Interpol, she said.
Taiwan wants to support more bilateral cooperation with Guatemala, she said.
This year more than 60 Taiwanese firms visited the Central American nation to look for opportunities for collaboration in industries including coffee and textiles, she said.
More than 525 students from Guatemala have received vocational training in Taiwan or participated in exchange programs, adding to the bilateral friendship, she said.
Traditional dancers organized by the Guatemala Institute of Tourism, a lion dance organized by the Taipei-based Overseas Chinese Association and a group of local students singing Tian Mi Mi (甜蜜蜜) and The Moon Represents My Heart (月亮代表我的心) performed at the event.
DEMOGRAPHICS: Robotics is the most promising answer to looming labor woes, the long-term care system and national contingency response, an official said Taiwan is to launch a five-year plan to boost the robotics industry in a bid to address labor shortages stemming from a declining and aging population, the Executive Yuan said yesterday. The government approved the initiative, dubbed the Smart Robotics Industry Promotion Plan, via executive order, senior officials told a post-Cabinet meeting news conference in Taipei. Taiwan’s population decline would strain the economy and the nation’s ability to care for vulnerable and elderly people, said Peter Hong (洪樂文), who heads the National Science and Technology Council’s (NSTC) Department of Engineering and Technologies. Projections show that the proportion of Taiwanese 65 or older would
Nvidia Corp yesterday unveiled its new high-speed interconnect technology, NVLink Fusion, with Taiwanese application-specific IC (ASIC) designers Alchip Technologies Ltd (世芯) and MediaTek Inc (聯發科) among the first to adopt the technology to help build semi-custom artificial intelligence (AI) infrastructure for hyperscalers. Nvidia has opened its technology to outside users, as hyperscalers and cloud service providers are building their own cost-effective AI chips, or accelerators, used in AI servers by leveraging ASIC firms’ designing capabilities to reduce their dependence on Nvidia. Previously, NVLink technology was only available for Nvidia’s own AI platform. “NVLink Fusion opens Nvidia’s AI platform and rich ecosystem for
Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) yesterday said it is building nine new advanced wafer manufacturing and packaging factories this year, accelerating its expansion amid strong demand for high-performance computing (HPC) and artificial intelligence (AI) applications. The chipmaker built on average five factories per year from 2021 to last year and three from 2017 to 2020, TSMC vice president of advanced technology and mask engineering T.S. Chang (張宗生) said at the company’s annual technology symposium in Hsinchu City. “We are quickening our pace even faster in 2025. We plan to build nine new factories, including eight wafer fabrication plants and one advanced
‘WORLD’S LOSS’: Taiwan’s exclusion robs the world of the benefits it could get from one of the foremost practitioners of disease prevention and public health, Minister Chiu said Taiwan should be allowed to join the World Health Assembly (WHA) as an irreplaceable contributor to global health and disease prevention efforts, Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) said yesterday. He made the comment at a news conference in Taipei, hours before a Taiwanese delegation was to depart for Geneva, Switzerland, seeking to meet with foreign representatives for a bilateral meeting on the sidelines of the WHA, the WHO’s annual decisionmaking meeting, which would be held from Monday next week to May 27. As of yesterday, Taiwan had yet to receive an invitation. Taiwan has much to offer to the international community’s
RSS