Visiting Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Bucaro on Friday described his country as a “true ally of Taiwan” during an interview in Taipei.
Bucaro, who in February took office as Guatemala’s top diplomat, was speaking at the conclusion of a five-day visit to Taiwan, during which he met with President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) and other senior Taiwanese officials.
In an interview prior to his departure, Bucaro said that his visit should send “a clear message to the world” that the Central American nation “will be always on the side of Taiwan.”
“We are a true ally of Taiwan and we will always be,” the 45-year-old diplomat said, adding that Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei had been “very vocal” in defending the sovereignty of Taiwan and right of Taiwanese to live in peace.
Guatemala is one of eight remaining Latin American and Caribbean countries to maintain diplomatic relations with Taipei.
The past five years has seen former allies in the region — Panama, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador and Nicaragua — switch diplomatic recognition to Beijing, reportedly lured by the promise of Chinese investment and aid.
After Bucaro on Tuesday met with Tsai at the Presidential Office in Taipei, Chinese Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesman Zhao Lijian (趙立堅) urged Guatemala to change allegiance, saying at a news briefing the same day that the country should make decisions “in line with the historical trend.”
Bucaro, without directly responding to Zhao’s comments, said that Guatemala was a sovereign nation and that the relationship between it and Taiwan had gone beyond commercial interests since establishing diplomatic relations in 1933.
The ties between the two countries are based on “respect, solidarity and friendship,” he said.
“So we are here [in Taiwan] because we believe on the right decision that Guatemalans and Taiwanese will always be allied,” Bucaro said. “There will be no pressure, or things, that can be able to change that.”
Taiwan has provided support to Guatemala in areas of public health, agriculture and education, he said.
He mentioned in particular that Taiwan had sponsored the building of a regional hospital in the central Guatemalan city of Chimaltenango.
The hospital, at which construction began in June last year, is estimated to cost US$22.5 million, according to a bidding document published by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
Taipei has also offered scholarships for Guatemalan students while sending technical missions to help small-scale farmers in the Central American nation refine their farming techniques, he said.
Bucaro said he saw many opportunities for bilateral cooperation between the two countries, adding that Guatemala viewed Taiwan as a pathway for its exports to enter the Southeast Asian market.
At the same time, Taiwanese investors can take advantage of the central position of Guatemala, which has free-trade agreements with the US, Mexico and other Central American nations, he said.
Guatemala especially welcomes investment from the tech industry, including businesses related to electric vehicles and microchips, he added.
“Guatemala is the largest and most important ally of Taiwan in Latin America,” Bucaro said. “We feel very proud of that.”
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