The Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday thanked US President Joe Biden for voicing support for Taiwan in telephone calls with French President Emmanuel Macron and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen.
Biden on Thursday spoke with Macron to discuss their ongoing efforts in the Indo-Pacific region and Macron’s recent trip to China, the White House said in a statement.
Earlier on the same day, Biden also spoke with Von der Leyen to discuss the trip she and Macron had made to China, among other issues, the White House said in a separate statement.
Photo: Reuters
“They reaffirmed the importance of maintaining peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait,” both statements said.
However, a readout released by the French presidential office made no direct mention of Taiwan during the call, Reuters reported.
“The failure to mention Taiwan in Thursday’s statement is likely to again raise eyebrows,” Reuters said, alluding to remarks Macron made earlier this month that Europe should avoid following the US or China into “crises that aren’t ours.”
The ministry in a statement thanked Biden and the US for expressing firm support for Taiwan.
“Peace and stability across the Taiwan Strait are at the core of security and prosperity in the Indo-Pacific region,” the ministry said.
The statement said that the international community has “grave concerns” about China’s military activity around Taiwan, and that the “status quo” is in the world’s interest and should not be unilaterally changed by Beijing.
Separately, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei is to be welcomed with full military honors by President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) in Taipei on Monday.
Giammattei is scheduled to lead a delegation to Taiwan for a four-day state visit at the invitation of the government, the Presidential Office said in a statement on Thursday.
Giammattei previously visited Taiwan in October 2019 as president-elect.
The delegation is to include Congressional President Shirley Rivera, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mario Bucaro, Minister of Public Finance Edwin Oswaldo Martinez Cameros, Minister of Agriculture, Livestock and Food Edgar Rene de Leon Moreno, and Minister of the Economy Janio Rosales Alegria, the statement said.
Tsai, who was well-received in Guatemala earlier this month, is to confer upon Giammattei the Order of Brilliant Jade with Grand Cordon, followed by the two leaders’ attendance at the opening ceremony of a month-long celebration of Guatemalan coffee culture in Taipei, it said.
Giammattei is also scheduled to attend banquets presided over by Tsai, present a speech at the legislature and meet with Guatemalans studying in Taiwan, the ministry said.
Giammattei has been cementing relations with Taiwan, while governments on both sides engage in cooperative projects in several fields to promote Guatemalan social and economic development, efforts that have been well received by local people, the statement said.
Meanwhile, Representative to the US Hsiao Bi-khim (蕭美琴) met with Bucaro in Washington on Thursday and expressed gratitude for Guatemala’s long-term support for Taiwan.
Bucaro said he was looking forward to visiting Taiwan with Giammattei next week, and reiterated his country’s support for the nation, the Taipei Economic and Cultural Representative Office in the US said.
Additional reporting by Reuters and CNA
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