New Delhi
Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei on Tuesday (April 25) pledged absolute support for Taiwan and said that both countries were important allies. President Giammattei is on a trip to Taiwan. "I want everyone to trust that Guatemala will continue to be a solid diplomatic ally to the Republic of Taiwan and will continue to deepen cooperation in all areas," Giammattei said at a welcoming ceremony outside Taiwan's presidential office and pointed out that Guatemala and Taiwan were "brotherly countries," the news agency Reuters reported.
The Guatemalan president referred twice to the "Republic of Taiwan", rather than its official name the Republic of China. He ended his speech with a rousing "Long live free Taiwan", receiving a broad smile from Taiwanese President Tsai who thanked him.
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Later while addressing Taiwan's parliament, Alejandro Giammattei continued to refer to the "Republic of Taiwan", and won a standing ovation from lawmakers with a further strong message of support, ending that speech with: "Long live Taiwan: free, sovereign and independent".
Guatemala remains one of the 13 countries with official diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Last month, Honduras abandoned Taiwan for China after asking for almost $2.5 billion in aid.
On Monday, senior Guatemalan financial officials said that Guatemala City was not asking for free money from Taiwan and did not owe a debt in the same way Honduras did, but was looking for long-term investment and trade.
Guatemalan Economy Minister Janio Rosales, who accompanied President Giammattei to Taiwan, told Reuters that his country did not have a debt problem with Taiwan but wanted more balanced trade.
"We want to have a better-balanced trade, so what we are promoting is for more investment from enterprises from Taiwan to Guatemala and to extend cooperation between the two countries. It has been a great alliance," Rosales said.
Alvaro Gonzalez Ricci, the governor of Guatemala's central bank, meanwhile, said "I think we can ask Taiwan (for things) but not free money. Maybe they can invest in some bonds of Guatemala for example, and find projects that can last for 25, 30 years, not just donations to certain projects in the short-run."
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Earlier this month, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visited Guatemala where she offered more cooperation with Giammattei's government.
Before Giammattei's visit, China- which claims Taiwan as its territory- warned that Guatemala should not help “independence attempts” by Taiwanese authorities.
"The one-China principle is an accepted norm in international relations and a universal consensus of the international community. There is no way for Taiwan's independence. Any move that ignores the world trend and international justice and stubbornly adheres to the wrong position is doomed to failure," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Wang Wenbin said on April 19.
"We would also like to advise the government of Guatemala not to help the evil-doer and go against the international trend and the voice of the Guatemalan people for its own selfish interests," Wenbin added.
(With inputs from agencies)
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