Guatemalan President Oscar Berger Perdomo said on Tuesday that Taiwan-Guatemala ties must be mutually beneficial and that neither party should be disadvantaged.
Berger made the remarks at the presidential palace during a joint news conference with Vice President Annette Lu (
Asked whether Guatemala would take concrete action to support Taiwan's desire to take part in world bodies, including the UN, Berger replied that each country's sovereignty must be fully respected.
He stressed that Guatemala would step up two-way ties with Taiwan on a wide range of fronts as there still was a lot of room for mutual exploration.
After Taiwan and Guatemala signed a free trade agreement, two-way trade increased to US$150 million per year, a jump from the previous level of about US$2 million per year when he assumed the presidency, Berger said. He also expressed hope that more Taiwanese industries would invest in Guatemala.
Berger said that Taiwan would offer 25 scholarships for Guatemalan students to study in Taiwan and was also assisting in building an expressway in Guatemala.
Taiwan-Guatemala ties have to be built upon mutual benefits, with neither side a loser, Berger said.
Commenting on Berger's proposal of turning Quetzal Port into a free trade zone, Lu hailed the idea and said she would suggest that relevant Taiwanese authorities assess the feasibility of bilateral cooperation in the project.
Taiwan is to receive the first batch of Lockheed Martin F-16 Block 70 jets from the US late this month, a defense official said yesterday, after a year-long delay due to a logjam in US arms deliveries. Completing the NT$247.2 billion (US$7.69 billion) arms deal for 66 jets would make Taiwan the third nation in the world to receive factory-fresh advanced fighter jets of the same make and model, following Bahrain and Slovakia, the official said on condition of anonymity. F-16 Block 70/72 are newly manufactured F-16 jets built by Lockheed Martin to the standards of the F-16V upgrade package. Republic of China
Taiwan-Japan Travel Passes are available for use on public transit networks in the two countries, Taoyuan Metro Corp said yesterday, adding that discounts of up to 7 percent are available. Taoyuan Metro, the Taipei MRT and Japan’s Keisei Electric Railway teamed up to develop the pass. Taoyuan Metro operates the Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport MRT Line, while Keisei Electric Railway offers express services between Tokyo’s Narita Airport, and the Keisei Ueno and Nippori stations in the Japanese capital, as well as between Narita and Haneda airports. The basic package comprises one one-way ticket on the Taoyuan MRT Line and one Skyliner ticket on
Starlux Airlines, Taiwan’s newest international carrier, has announced it would apply to join the Oneworld global airline alliance before the end of next year. In an investor conference on Monday, Starlux Airlines chief executive officer Glenn Chai (翟健華) said joining the alliance would help it access Taiwan. Chai said that if accepted, Starlux would work with other airlines in the alliance on flight schedules, passenger transits and frequent flyer programs. The Oneworld alliance has 13 members, including American Airlines, British Airways, Cathay Pacific and Qantas, and serves more than 900 destinations in 170 territories. Joining Oneworld would also help boost
A new tropical storm formed late yesterday near Guam and is to approach closest to Taiwan on Thursday, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said. Tropical Storm Pulasan became the 14th named storm of the year at 9:25pm yesterday, the agency said. As of 8am today, it was near Guam traveling northwest at 21kph, it said. The storm’s structure is relatively loose and conditions for strengthening are limited, WeatherRisk analyst Wu Sheng-yu (吳聖宇) said on Facebook. Its path is likely to be similar to Typhoon Bebinca, which passed north of Taiwan over Japan’s Ryukyu Islands and made landfall in Shanghai this morning, he said. However, it