Guatemala President Alejandro Giammattei expressed gratitude to Taiwan on Tuesday for donating more than 1,000 wheelchairs and mobility aids to his country to improve the quality of life for physically challenged Guatemalans.
“I am pleased to be part of the delivery of medical equipment for children and adults with disabilities, donated by the Republic of China (Taiwan), whom I thank for being a great ally and friend,” Giammattei said in a tweet after attending the donation ceremony.
“Today we see this friendship between our two peoples reflected in the smiles and comfort of people who need it. The needs are many and we will continue to attend to them so that Guatemalans can have a better quality of life,” he added.
In response, President Tsai Ing-wen (???) retweeted Giammattei’s post, while adding a line saying “That’s what friends are for.” “I will keep working with you for the betterment of our two peoples,” she said in the tweet.
According to Taiwan’s ambassador to the Central American ally, Cheng Li-cheng (???), the latest batch of donations includes 294 wheelchairs for adults, 158 wheelchairs for children, and 848 walking assist devices for those in need.
The medical equipment was jointly donated by the Taiwanese government and two Taiwan-based charity groups and this marked the third consecutive year such donations have been made to Guatemala, Cheng said in his address during the donation ceremony.
In addition, 1,560 tons of rice donated by Taiwan are in the process of being distributed to families in need, he said, adding that these donations demonstrated that Taiwan was doing its best to support its ally and its people.
Guatemala is the biggest of the 14 states in terms of population that recognize Taipei instead of Beijing and is one of Taiwan’s oldest allies. The two countries established formal ties in 1935 when the government of the Republic of China, Taiwan’s official name, was still based in mainland China.
During a recent interview, Giammattei pledged to stick to his country’s diplomatic recognition with Taiwan, as Beijing continued to poach Taipei’s allies over the past years due to increasing tension between the two sides.
Since May 2016, when Tsai came to office, Taiwan has lost eight diplomatic allies to China, namely Burkina Faso, the Dominican Republic, El Salvador, Kiribati, Nicaragua, Panama, Sao Tome and Principe, and the Solomon Islands. Many of Taiwan’s allies are located in Latin America.
Source: Focus Taiwan News Channel