Guatemala celebrates Independence Day in Taiwan with reception, exhibit

Taipei, Sept. 15 (CNA) Guatemala held a reception in Taipei on Monday to celebrate its 204th Independence Day, during which it unveiled an art exhibit featuring a Guatemalan artist's paintings.

Speaking at the reception, Guatemala's ambassador to Taiwan Luis Raúl Estévez López said that on Sept. 15, 1821, the Guatemalan people decided to separate from the Kingdom of Spain and begin their independence.

"Throughout these 204 years, Guatemala has had to face a series of challenges that have forged the country we have today," he said.

Guatemala has since evolved into a democracy and emerged as one of the world's biggest exporters of coffee, sugar, bananas, plastic materials, edible fats, and oils, with trading partners around the world, Estévez said.

Guatemala is now trying to become part of the global semiconductor supply chain, with the help of Taiwan, the United States, and Japan, he said.

Speaking at the reception on behalf of Taiwan's government, Deputy Foreign Minister Chen Ming-chi (陳明祺) said Taiwan and Guatemala have shared a close friendship founded on the values of freedom, democracy, and the rule of law since the Republic of China (Taiwan's formal name since 1949) and Guatemala established diplomatic relations in 1934.

He said President Bernardo Arévalo just visited Taiwan in June, and that in July, Guatemala Congress President Nery Ramos led a cross-party delegation of Guatemala parliamentarians to Taiwan, showing close high-level exchanges between the two formal diplomatic allies.

"We deeply value our friendship with Guatemala, and we will continue to work hand in hand with our partners to broaden cooperation among democracies and jointly contribute to regional stability, prosperity, and development," he said.

As part of the reception, Estévez, Chen and other guests also launched an exhibit of 10 paintings by Guatemalan artist Daniel García Dubón called "Feeling of the Heart,"

The exhibition will be staged at National Central Library in Taipei from Tuesday through Thursday, according to the embassy.

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 Taiwan.