Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei says his government is not seeking formal diplomatic ties with China and that he supports long-term friendship with Taiwan. Giammattei was speaking Wednesday during an interview with Reuters.
Giammattei said that unlike neighboring countries such as Honduras and El Salvador, Guatemala is not interested in getting Chinese-made COVID-19 vaccines because their efficacy is quite low.
In response, Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Joanne Ou said on Thursday that Taiwan will continue its exchanges with the Central America ally based on existing cooperation. Ou said Taiwan and Guatemala will jointly curb the spread of the COVID-19 and promote sustainable development.