INTERVIEW/Taiwan trip to bring relations to next level: Guatemalan president

Taipei, June 5 (CNA) Visiting Guatemalan President Bernardo Arévalo on Wednesday told CNA that his ongoing Taiwan trip is intended to take the decades-long historical ties between the two allies "to the next level" by enhancing economic and trade relations.

Speaking to CNA right after he arrived in Taiwan on Wednesday evening to begin his first trip to the country since taking office in January 2024, Arévalo said his administration has since been developing what he called "a new chapter in Guatemala-Taiwan relations."

He said Guatemala is very grateful for the historical cooperation Taiwan has provided, which supported the Guatemalan people on various fronts.

"I think that we are ready to bring the relationship to a new level," he said when asked about his ongoing five-day trip to Taiwan from Wednesday through Sunday.

Elaborating on what he meant by the next level in bilateral relations, Arévalo said it means allowing both societies "to become much more intertwined," including by "tightening the economic and, of course, commercial relations between our countries."

Since taking office as the Central American country's leader, his government has been working with Taiwanese counterparts to identify areas to collaborate.

According to Arévalo, both governments consider semiconductor and supply chain cooperation to be perfect for expanded collaboration and growth.

"We believe that we can follow Taiwan's very unique and important experience in building its own way into the high tech industry," he said.

That is why, among the three documents his delegation will sign with Taiwan's government during its stay, one aims to facilitate bilateral investment and promote supply chain cooperation, while another seeks to boost the development of Guatemala's semiconductor industry.

The third document to be signed is to promote a framework for political consultations, he added.

Last month Guatemala sent a mission of 28 engineers from its universities and private sector to Taiwan to undergo a three-week intensive training program in semiconductors, according to Arévalo.

His government believes this is an area for Guatemala to further invest in so that it can help create jobs locally and allow the Guatemalan high tech sector to grow.

While in Taiwan, he and his delegation will also visit the Hsinchu Science Park and TSMC, the world's largest contract chipmaker, to gain a better understanding of Taiwan's strength in this area.

In addition to high-tech cooperation, Arévalo said his country is also in talks with Taiwanese textile companies that are planning investments in the Central America ally.

The Guatemalan leader said his country's strategic location in Central America can serve as a bridge between Latin America and the U.S.

"So we believe that that is something that we can expand so that Guatemala can be made into, as you said, a niche with importance not only for itself and for its people but for the whole economic development of the region."

Asked to say a few words to Taiwanese people, the Guatemala president said he is in Taiwan "to celebrate a long-standing friendship" and because Guatemala wants to be part of making these historical links "even stronger and more productive for the good of both our peoples."

Arévalo is making his first trip to Taiwan in more than 30 years since his last visit in 1994 when he was deputy foreign minister.

Taiwan, officially named the Republic of China (ROC), 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, with 12 in total worldwide.

Following his Taipei trip, the Guatemalan leader will visit Japan to celebrate the 90th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

He will attend the Osaka World Expo and meet the emperor of Japan and hold an official summit with Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba while in Tokyo, according to the Guatemalan government.