Taipei 101 lights up to celebrate 90th anniversary of ROC-Guatemala ties

Taipei, Dec. 22 (CNA) The iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper flashed LED messages on Sunday evening to mark the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Guatemala.

The building flashed a message in Mandarin Chinese that reads "celebrating the 90th anniversary of diplomatic relations" as well as the ROC and Guatemala national flags and a handshake.

Before pressing the button to light up the skyscraper, Guatemala's ambassador to Taiwan Luis Raúl Estévez López, who assumed the post last month, said both countries decided to establish diplomatic relations 90 years ago.

"Today, we can say that we both have succeeded in accomplishing what we had in mind when we decided to start this relationship that has benefited both of us. Our relationship has become a partnership where cooperation, honesty and mutual respect have found their place," Estévez said.

He added that bilateral ties would continue developing despite any challenges because "we found a friend and we found a treasure in Taiwan."

Estévez expressed the deepest appreciation of the government and people of Guatemala for the cooperation with and help from Taiwan over the last 90 years.

"Long live the Republic of China Taiwan, long live the Republic of Guatemala, and long live the friendly relations between the two countries," he concluded.

In his address, Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) welcomed the new Guatemalan envoy to Taiwan.

Lin noted that both Taiwan and Guatemala have seen new administrations this year, that he visited Guatemala last month and that his Guatemalan counterpart was in Taiwan for President Lai Ching-te's (賴清德) inauguration.

Taiwan and Guatemala share the values of freedom and democracy, and have maintained close exchanges in areas such as healthcare, economy and trade, talent cultivation and tourism and construction projects, the minister said.

The close cooperation between the two allies shows that the long distance between the two countries does not diminish the strong friendship between the two nations and their peoples, Lin said.

"Looking ahead, we will continue to cooperate to overcome challenges. Taiwan will work closely with Guatemala to realize prosperity for both countries," Lin said.

"May the friendship between Guatemala and Taiwan be ever-lasting," Lin added.

The ROC, Taiwan's official name, established diplomatic relations with the Republic of Guatemala in 1934, when the ROC government was still based in mainland 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 the ROC rather than the People's Republic of China.

The LED messages on Taipei 101 will be on display until 10 p.m. on Sunday.