The Taipei 101 skyscraper was lit up last night to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Guatemala.
The building flashed a message in Mandarin Chinese that read: “Celebrating the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations” as well as the flags of Republic of China (ROC) and Guatemala, and a handshake.
The ceremony was organized by the Central America Trade Office and the Guatemalan embassy in Taiwan, with the building lit up from 6pm to 10pm yesterday.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
Ceremony guests included Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍), Guatemalan Ambassador to Taiwan Luis Raul Estevez Lopez, Taipei Financial Center Corp chairwoman Janet Chia (賈永婕), Ministry of Foreign Affairs Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs Director Cheng Li-cheng (鄭力城) and Central America Trade Office Director Hsu Shao-hui (徐韶慧).
Mutual respect and benefits underlie the Taiwan-Guatemala partnership, as both sides share a vision and values of democratic society, rule of law and human rights, Estevez said in his address.
He also expressed sincere gratitude on behalf of the Guatemalan government and its people for Taiwan’s continued support and cooperation with his country over the past nine decades.
Photo: Fang Pin-chao, Taipei Times
It is not always easy to keep fostering bilateral relations despite the reality, Estevez said, adding that he hoped that the ties between the nations could keep improving.
Lin said that Taiwan and Guatemala are solid allies, and the strong partnership manifests itself in mutual visits made by senior government officials from both sides over the past 11 months.
Taiwan and Guatemala share values such as freedom and democracy, and have been closely cooperating in terms of healthcare, economics, trade, talent nurturing and infrastructure development over the past few years, he said.
Lin also thanked the Guatemalan government for voicing support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.
Taiwan values its diplomatic ties with Guatemala and would continue to deepen cooperation with the goal of contributing to regional stability, prosperity and development, he said.
The ROC and Guatemala established relations in 1934, when the ROC government was in China.
Guatemala is one of Taiwan’s two diplomatic allies in Central America — the other being Belize. They are among the 12 countries that have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan instead of China.
Additional reporting by CNA
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