Alejandro Giammattei, the president of Guatemala, declared on Tuesday that his country will keep up a "solid diplomatic relationship" with Taiwan despite communist China's military threats against the self-governing island.
Giammattei landed in Taiwan on Tuesday for a four-day visit, which he described as a message "about respect for the independence of nations" while repeating his country's strong support for the island.
During a meeting with Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen, Giammattei promised his "unconditional support" for Taiwan and stressed his desire to further cooperation with Taiwan in a variety of industries.
“Guatemala will continue to stand with Taiwan, the Republic of China, with the most solid diplomatic relationship and continue to deepen cooperation in various fields, especially in medical care, health, economy, and infrastructure,” he said, according to Tsai’s office.
Giammattei reaffirmed his country's support for Taiwan's diplomatic mission to preserve national sovereignty and promote regional peace. The Guatemalan president ended his statement by saying, "Long live Taiwan."
Mao Ning, a spokesman for China's Foreign Ministry, denounced Guatemala's action while emphasizing China's economic contribution. According to Mao, Beijing is Guatemala's "second-largest source of imports and fifth-largest export destination."
"They will not obstruct the unstoppable historical trend toward Chinese reunification," Mao told reporters. "History also shows that all attempts to split China will fail."
Guatemala is one of 13 countries having diplomatic ties to Taiwan, a democratically elected island that Beijing claims as its own and has promised to seize militarily if necessary.
Tsai was in Guatemala last month and spoke with US officials. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) met with her during her transit in California, angering Beijing, which sees such contacts as support for Taiwan's aspiration to be recognized as an independent country.
In reaction to Tsai's meeting, Beijing held a three-day military practice surrounding Taiwan, sending a record 91 warplanes and 12 navy vessels toward the island on the penultimate day of the operations, with 54 aircraft sighted breaching the Taiwan Strait median line.
