A delegation led by Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo arrived in Taiwan yesterday afternoon and is to visit President William Lai (賴清德) today.
The delegation arrived at Taiwan Taoyuan International Airport at 4:55pm, and was greeted by Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍).
It is Arevalo’s first trip to Taiwan since he took office last year, and following the visit, he is to travel to Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations between the two countries.
Photo: CNA
Arevalo said at the airport that he is very glad to make the visit to Taiwan, adding that he brings an important message of responsibility and duty from the Guatemalan people — the hope of deepening bilateral cooperation and strengthening friendship with Taiwan.
The Guatemala-Taiwan diplomatic relationship is about to enter a new stage, highlighted by the will of the people in the two countries, achieving mutual benefit and reciprocity through various cooperative mechanisms, and sharing and developing the common values of freedom, democracy and respect to sovereignty, based on the two countries’ history and culture, he said.
The visit is also very important for deepening mutual friendship, he said, adding that he believes it could open up new opportunities for cooperative relations.
The 10-person delegation is to stay in Taiwan until Sunday. The group includes Guatemalan Minister of Foreign Affairs Carlos Ramiro Martinez, Guatemalan Minister of Economy Gabriela Garcia-Quinn and Guatemalan first lady Lucrecia Peinado, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said.
Meanwhile, a delegation led by Eswatini Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Pholile Shakantu arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday afternoon, the ministry said.
It is Shakantu’s second visit to Taiwan, following her visit in January last year, in which she met with then-vice president Lai, who had just won the presidential election, and told him that Eswatini would continue to be Taiwan’s strongest ally and would bolster ties.
The delegation met with Lin at the foreign ministry in Taipei yesterday, where they exchanged ideas about bilateral cooperation, trade and economic investments.
Lin said he visited the Kingdom of Eswatini in April as a special envoy to congratulate Eswatini King Mswati III on his birthday, and that he is glad to see the delegation visit Taiwan, demonstrating the close and frequent interactions between the two countries, as well as the deep and solid diplomatic relations.
He thanked King Mswati III and the Eswatini government for its firm support for Taiwan in the international community over the years, including at the World Health Assembly in Geneva, Switzerland, last month.
Having discussed issues concerning economics and trade, investment, tourism, and smart city and energy development with King Mswati III in April, Lin said he believes that through close cooperation, the vision of “Taiwan can help” and “Eswatini can lead [Africa]” can be achieved, bringing prosperity to Eswatini.
Members of the Eswatini delegation also included Minister of Public Works and Transport Ndlaluhlaza Ndwandwe, Minister for Finance Neal Rijkenberg, Minister of Public Works and Transport Manqoba Khumalo, Director of the King’s Office Chief Mgwagwa Gamedze and other Cabinet officials, the foreign ministry said.
A magnitude 6.1 earthquake struck off the coast of Yilan County at 8:39pm tonight, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said, with no immediate reports of damage or injuries. The epicenter was 38.7km east-northeast of Yilan County Hall at a focal depth of 98.3km, the CWA’s Seismological Center said. The quake’s maximum intensity, which gauges the actual physical effect of a seismic event, was a level 4 on Taiwan’s 7-tier intensity scale, the center said. That intensity level was recorded in Yilan County’s Nanao Township (南澳), Hsinchu County’s Guansi Township (關西), Nantou County’s Hehuanshan (合歡山) and Hualien County’s Yanliao (鹽寮). An intensity of 3 was
Instead of focusing solely on the threat of a full-scale military invasion, the US and its allies must prepare for a potential Chinese “quarantine” of Taiwan enforced through customs inspections, Stanford University Hoover fellow Eyck Freymann said in a Foreign Affairs article published on Wednesday. China could use various “gray zone” tactics in “reconfiguring the regional and ultimately the global economic order without a war,” said Freymann, who is also a nonresident research fellow at the US Naval War College. China might seize control of Taiwan’s links to the outside world by requiring all flights and ships entering or leaving Taiwan
The first of 10 new high-capacity trains purchased from South Korea’s Hyundai Rotem arrived at the Port of Taipei yesterday to meet the demands of an expanding metro network, Taipei Rapid Transit Corp (TRTC) said yesterday. The train completed a three-day, 1,200km voyage from the Port of Masan in South Korea, the company said. Costing NT$590 million (US$18.79 million) each, the new six-carriage trains feature a redesigned interior based on "human-centric" transportation concepts, TRTC said. The design utilizes continuous longitudinal seating to widen the aisles and optimize passenger flow, while also upgrading passenger information displays and driving control systems for a more comfortable
Taiwan's first indigenous defense submarine, the SS-711 Hai Kun (海鯤, or Narwhal), departed for its 13th sea trial at 7am today, marking its seventh submerged test, with delivery to the navy scheduled for July. The outing also marked its first sea deployment since President William Lai (賴清德) boarded the submarine for an inspection on March 19, drawing a crowd of military enthusiasts who gathered to show support. The submarine this morning departed port accompanied by CSBC Corp’s Endeavor Manta (奮進魔鬼魚號) uncrewed surface vessel and a navy M109 assault boat. Amid public interest in key milestones such as torpedo-launching operations and overnight submerged trials,
RSS