Taiwan President heads to C.America

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies
31 Mar 2023 11:12

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen began a visit to Guatemala and Belize after a controversial US stopover on Wednesday.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen speaks outside the presidential office on the island's national day. (AFP)

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen began a visit to Guatemala and Belize on Friday to restore ties with dwindling allies following a provocative trip to the United States.

Taiwan's President Tsai Ing-wen arrived in New York on Wednesday for a visit that has triggered warnings by China if she meets with House speaker Kevin McCarthy and warnings by the US for Beijing not to "overreact".

Tsai is scheduled to land in Guatemala on Friday afternoon where she would meet with her counterpart Alejandro Giammattei and sign a collaboration agreement.

She leaves on Monday after arriving in Belize on Sunday, where she will meet with Prime Minister John Briceno, as per her program. Tsai intends to stop in Los Angeles en route back to Taiwan, where McCarthy said he will meet her.

Tsai's trip follows Honduras' decision this month to open diplomatic relations with Beijing, leaving Belize and Guatemala among just 13 countries that have official ties with Taipei.

Paraguay could follow in Honduras' footsteps, with presidential elections due in April and opposition candidate Efrain Alegre having promised to reevaluate relationships with Taiwan.

Diplomatic battleground

It is noteworthy that China has increased investment in Latin America, a key diplomatic battleground between Taipei and Beijing.

Taiwan has lately accused China of using "coercion and intimidation" to lure away its allies after Honduran Foreign Minister Enrique Reina and his Chinese counterpart Qin Gang officially launched relations in Beijing.

During the meeting, Qin formally invited Honduran President Xiomara Castro to visit China "at an early date."

The Honduran Foreign Ministry confirmed in a tweet last Wednesday that Castro would "soon" make an official visit to China, with an eye on "signing auspicious agreements between both countries."

The move continued a trend in Latin America, with Nicaragua, El Salvador, Panama, the Dominican Republic, and Costa Rica all switching diplomatic recognition to Beijing in recent years.

In addition to Guatemala and Belize, Taiwan still has official ties with a handful of countries in Latin America and the Caribbean, including Paraguay and Haiti.