The Taipei 101 skyscraper was lit up last night to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Guatemala.
The building flashed a message in Mandarin Chinese that read: “Celebrating the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations” as well as the flags of Republic of China (ROC) and Guatemala, and a handshake.
The ceremony was organized by the Central America Trade Office and the Guatemalan embassy in Taiwan, with the building lit up from 6pm to 10pm yesterday.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Ceremony guests included Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), Guatemalan Ambassador to Taiwan Luis Raul Estevez Lopez, Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Janet Chia (賈永婕), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Director Cheng Li-cheng (鄭力城) and Central America Trade Office Director Hsu Shao-hui (徐韶慧).
Mutual respect and benefits underlie the Taiwan-Guatemala partnership, as both sides share a vision and values of democratic society, rule of law and human rights, Estevez said in his address.
He also expressed sincere gratitude on behalf of the Guatemalan government and its people for Taiwan’s continued support and cooperation with his country over the past nine decades.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
It is not always easy to keep fostering bilateral relations despite the reality, Estevez said, adding that he hoped that the ties between the nations could keep improving.
Lin said that Taiwan and Guatemala are solid allies, and the strong partnership manifests itself in mutual visits made by senior government officials from both sides over the past 11 months.
Taiwan and Guatemala share values such as freedom and democracy, and have been closely cooperating in terms of healthcare, economics, trade, talent nurturing and infrastructure development over the past few years, he said.
Lin also thanked the Guatemalan government for voicing support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.
Taiwan values its diplomatic ties with Guatemala and would continue to deepen cooperation with the goal of contributing to regional stability, prosperity and development, he said.
The ROC and Guatemala established relations in 1934, when the ROC government was in China.
Guatemala is one of Taiwan’s two diplomatic allies in Central America — the other being Belize. They are among the 12 countries that have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan instead of China.
Additional reporting by CNA
A Ministry of Foreign Affairs official yesterday said that a delegation that visited China for an APEC meeting did not receive any kind of treatment that downgraded Taiwan’s sovereignty. Department of International Organizations Director-General Jonathan Sun (孫儉元) said that he and a group of ministry officials visited Shenzhen, China, to attend the APEC Informal Senior Officials’ Meeting last month. The trip went “smoothly and safely” for all Taiwanese delegates, as the Chinese side arranged the trip in accordance with long-standing practices, Sun said at the ministry’s weekly briefing. The Taiwanese group did not encounter any political suppression, he said. Sun made the remarks when
The Taiwanese passport ranked 33rd in a global listing of passports by convenience this month, rising three places from last month’s ranking, but matching its position in January last year. The Henley Passport Index, an international ranking of passports by the number of designations its holder can travel to without a visa, showed that the Taiwan passport enables holders to travel to 139 countries and territories without a visa. Singapore’s passport was ranked the most powerful with visa-free access to 192 destinations out of 227, according to the index published on Tuesday by UK-based migration investment consultancy firm Henley and Partners. Japan’s and
BROAD AGREEMENT: The two are nearing a trade deal to reduce Taiwan’s tariff to 15% and a commitment for TSMC to build five more fabs, a ‘New York Times’ report said Taiwan and the US have reached a broad consensus on a trade deal, the Executive Yuan’s Office of Trade Negotiations said yesterday, after a report said that Washington is set to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent. The New York Times on Monday reported that the two nations are nearing a trade deal to reduce Taiwan’s tariff rate to 15 percent and commit Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) to building at least five more facilities in the US. “The agreement, which has been under negotiation for months, is being legally scrubbed and could be announced this month,” the paper said,
Japan and the Philippines yesterday signed a defense pact that would allow the tax-free provision of ammunition, fuel, food and other necessities when their forces stage joint training to boost deterrence against China’s growing aggression in the region and to bolster their preparation for natural disasters. Japan has faced increasing political, trade and security tensions with China, which was angered by Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s remark that a Chinese attack on Taiwan would be a survival-threatening situation for Japan, triggering a military response. Japan and the Philippines have also had separate territorial conflicts with Beijing in the East and South China
RSS