GUATEMALA CITY — Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen and the Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei toured the archaeological website online of Tikal on Saturday throughout a travel via Tsai that targets to shore up the self-governing island’s ties with its final allies in Central America.
The Taiwanese chief will visit Guatemala and Belize, the island’s simplest two final allies in Central America, the place Honduras, Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama and Costa Rica have all switched their improve to China. Honduras broke family members with Taipei per week in the past.
Under a blazing solar Saturday, Tsai and Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro, representing Giammattei — who suffers from more than one sclerosis – climbed one of the Mayans’ maximum essential pyramids: Temple II, also referred to as Temple of the Masks.
With incense, a Mayan invocation rite, a Mayan ball recreation and an trade of presents, Tsai and Giammattei talked as they loved the central sq. of Tikal archaeological park.
The day earlier than, in a joint message, the leaders spoke of cohesion, unity and the values shared via Guatemala and Taiwan.
Tsai thanked Guatemala’s executive for its improve, calling it an best friend and spouse. She has framed the travel as an opportunity to turn Taiwan’s dedication to democratic values globally.
On Sunday, Tsai is scheduled to visit a medical institution within the western division of Chimaltenango that used to be constructed with the assist of a Taiwanese donation.
Before arriving in Guatemala, the Taiwanese president visited the United States. She will culminate her visit to Central America with a forestall in Belize, earlier than returning to the U.S.
The travel is also aimed to solidifying ties in Latin America as China funnels cash into the area and pressures its international locations to wreck off family members with the self-governed democratic island.
Between 2005 and 2020, the Chinese have invested greater than $130 billion in Latin America, in line with the United States Institute of Peace. Trade between China and the area has additionally shot up, and is anticipated to succeed in greater than $700 billion via 2035.
Taiwan now has not more than 13 respectable diplomatic companions. More than part of the ones are small international locations in Latin America and the Caribbean: Belize, Guatemala, Paraguay, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.
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