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Guatemala will ‘always support’ Taiwan, foreign minister tells Tsai Ing-wen during island visit
- Mario Bucaro says his visit to the island is about ‘telling the world the importance of showing solidarity to the people of Taiwan’
- Guatemala is one of only 14 countries to retain formal diplomatic ties with Taiwan and one of three allies left in Central America
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Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Bucaro said on Tuesday the Central American country would “always support” Taiwan, after Beijing conducted its largest-ever military drills around the self-ruled island earlier this month.
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Meeting Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen at the presidential office in Taipei, Bucaro said Guatemala and Taiwan were “like-minded countries” united by a “democratic alliance”.
“Guatemala will always support Taiwan because we have a firm belief in the principles of peace, sovereignty, and territorial integrity,” Bucaro said.
“Peace is non-negotiable, but especially sovereignty is non-negotiable.”
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The remarks come just a few weeks after Beijing concluded a barrage of military drills around Taiwan in response to a visit to the island in early August by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
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The official did not mention mainland China in his remarks but said his visit to the island was about “telling the world the importance of showing solidarity to the people of Taiwan, in the belief that only dialogue can prevail in the face of any conflict”.
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