President Lai meets President of Guatemalan Congress Luis Alberto Contreras Colíndres

On the morning of July 8, President Lai Ching-te met with a delegation led by Luis Alberto Contreras Colíndres, the president of the Congress of the Republic of Guatemala. In remarks, President Lai thanked the delegation for taking concrete action to deepen exchanges between the legislatures of Taiwan and Guatemala. He stated that the two nations share a brotherly bond, and that over recent years, they have continued to deepen cooperation across various fields, including medical care, industrial development, and economic and trade exchanges. Looking ahead, the president noted that the government will continue to encourage Taiwanese businesses to utilize Guatemala as a key hub for establishing a presence in the markets of the Americas, thereby deepening bilateral cooperation and working together to promote progress and prosperity for both countries and the world.

A translation of President Lai's remarks follows:

I would like to extend a warm welcome to President Contreras and the cross-party delegation from the Guatemalan Congress on your visit to Taiwan. This is the first visit to Taiwan for Congress President Contreras as well as many of the legislators present today. I am confident that through this trip, you will gain an even deeper understanding of Taiwan. I would also like to thank all of our distinguished guests for taking concrete action to deepen exchanges between our two legislatures, demonstrating once again to the international community the profound diplomatic friendship between our two nations.

Taiwan and Guatemala share a brotherly bond. Over these past few years, we have continuously deepened our cooperative relationship, achieving fruitful results across various fields, including medical care, industrial development, and economic and trade exchanges. In particular, during their state visit to Taiwan in June last year, President Bernardo Arévalo and the First Lady not only reaffirmed the excellent bilateral ties between our two nations, but also expressed a desire to map out new directions for our bilateral cooperation. At that time, President Arévalo and I jointly signed a letter of intent for semiconductor cooperation, and witnessed the signing of cooperative agreements between our two countries, which established a mechanism for political consultation and continued to advance bilateral investment cooperation.

Now, through the mutual exchanges and joint efforts of our two countries, and while steadily advancing its own national development strategy of "Ruta del Chip" (route of the chip), Guatemala has also further deepened its economic and trade ties with Taiwan. Over the past two years, Guatemala's exports to Taiwan have reached US$130 million, demonstrating the immense cooperative capacity of our two nations. Furthermore, Guatemala has now become Taiwan's largest supplier of cane sugar and fourth largest supplier of coffee. This shows that high-quality agricultural products from Guatemala have already become a part of everyday life for many people in Taiwan. Looking ahead, our government will continue to encourage more Taiwanese businesses to utilize Guatemala as a key hub for establishing a presence in the markets of the Americas. Together, we will continue to deepen our diplomatic bond and bring about prosperity and development.

I look forward to Taiwan and Guatemala continuing to walk side by side and supporting each other on the international stage. I would also like to express my gratitude to Congress President Contreras for signing a resolution this past May in support of Taiwan's participation in the United Nations system and the World Health Organization, as well as to the Guatemalan Congress for its strong voice of support in collectively backing Taiwan's international participation. Moving forward, I hope we can work together to enable both Taiwan and Guatemala to shine brightly in the international community, and to jointly promote the progress and prosperity of our two nations and the world.

Congress President Contreras then delivered remarks, stating that the Guatemalan Congress is an unwavering and loyal friend of Taiwan, and that he hopes this brotherly diplomatic relationship will endure for generations. He noted that leading an official delegation to visit Taiwan and meet with President Lai is an important moment for strengthening bilateral ties and cooperation between Taiwan and Guatemala. On behalf of the Guatemalan Congress, he expressed deepest gratitude for the strong friendship and invaluable cooperative ties between the two nations.

Congress President Contreras indicated that Taiwan is an inspiring national model in numerous areas, including social development, innovation, and economic growth. He stated that Taiwan has proven to the world that great perseverance, vision, and hard work can yield outstanding results. He expressed gratitude to Taiwan for its continuous assistance to Guatemala, particularly regarding various cooperative projects aimed at the modernization of the legislature, which help strengthen democratic mechanisms and enhance its capacity to serve the Guatemalan people.

Congress President Contreras stated that the Guatemalan Congress reaffirms its firm stance to continue working hand in hand with Taiwan. He also expressed high recognition and admiration for the remarkable achievements attained by Taiwan's people in economic, social, and democratic development. The congress president said that he looks forward to further strengthening the strategic alliance between Taiwan and Guatemala through this visit, continuing to forge a future of shared prosperity, and he extended his best wishes for the enduring friendship between the two nations.

The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Guatemala Ambassador Luis Raúl Estévez López.