Taiwan has launched a two-year program with the Central American Integration System (SICA) to promote sustainable development, tourism and energy transition projects in Guatemala and Belize.
Ambassador to Guatemala Miguel Tsao (曹立傑), Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Ramiro Martinez, Belizean Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Trade and Immigration Chief Executive Officer Amalia Mai and SICA Executive Director Ingrid Figueroa attended the launch ceremony for the new cycle of seven regional cooperation projects on Wednesday, Taiwan’s embassy in Guatemala said.
The projects include cooperation in public health, climate change, marine environmental protection, small and medium-sized enterprise development, sustainable tourism, energy transition and electric vehicles, digital transformation and institutional capacity-building.
Photo: Yang Cheng-yu, Taipei Times
One of the focuses of the new projects is to support micro, small and medium-sized enterprises by promoting sustainable practices that would bolster productivity and help conserve the natural and cultural environment, the Central America Tourism Agency said.
The governments of Guatemala and Belize thanked Taiwan for its long-term cooperation with SICA to assist its allies in economic and social development, environmental protection and climate change, the embassy said.
The efforts have helped the Central American countries’ regional and national development and improved their people’s well-being, it said.
They also expressed deep concern after Wednesday’s massive earthquake, which measured 7.2 on the Richter scale, and wished for a quick recovery for Taiwanese, it added.
As a beacon of freedom and democracy, Taiwan plays an important role in the international community and would continue to work hand in hand with SICA and Central American countries to promote prosperity and development in the region, Tsao said.
He also thanked the two countries for supporting peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait.
Taiwan began working with SICA in 1992 and became an official observer in 2002, helping launch more than 120 projects in fields such as renewable energy, democracy, tourism, maritime transportation, public health and climate change.
SICA comprises the Central American Parliament, the Central American Bank for Economic Integration and the Central American Common Market.
Taiwan in August last year withdrew from the parliament after the body voted to expel the nation in favor of China, which prompted worries that Taiwan’s observer status in SICA and its non-regional membership in the Central American Bank for Economic Integration might be challenged.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs previously said that for major proposals to be adopted in SICA, they must be deliberated and a consensus must be reached at the Foreign Ministers Meeting and Summit of Heads of State.
As two of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies — Belize and Guatemala — are members of SICA, the nation’s participation and rights in the body would not be affected, it said.
Additional reporting by CNA
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