Guatemala Plans To Host Summit Of 'Taiwan-Friendly' States In March 2023 - Ambassador

BEIJING (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 19th December, 2022) Guatemala is planning to host a summit of "Taiwan-friendly" countries in March 2023, and hoping for the participation of Taiwanese leader Tsai Ing-wen in the meeting, new Guatemalan Ambassador to Taiwan Adolfo Padilla Lam said on Monday.

The new ambassador, representing a country that has official diplomatic ties with the island, presented his credentials to Tsai on Monday.

"Next March, Guatemala as a true friend and ally of Taiwan intends to host a high-level meeting of countries that are friendly to the island to promote cooperation between friendly states and at the same time reaffirm their recognition and support for Taiwan," Lam said at the ceremony, as quoted by Taiwan's presidential office.

The diplomat expressed his hope that the Taiwanese leader would be able to participate in the event as a co-chair.

Tsai, on her part, noted that Taiwan and its Central American partner had been successfully developing bilateral ties in a number of areas for many years, despite current issues in the global economy and politics.

Today, Taiwan has diplomatic ties with and is, thus, officially recognized by 14 countries � Belize, Guatemala, Haiti, Honduras, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Eswatini, Tuvalu, and the Vatican. Taipei also maintains economic and cultural ties with some other states, while having no official diplomatic relations.

Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan � a territory with its own elected government � maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.