Guatemalan FM Mario Búcaro concludes Taiwanese visit
Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Búcaro finishes his state visit to Taiwan today.
His tour included meetings with high-ranking Taiwanese officials, such as President Tsai Ing-wen, visits to national institutions and the signing of an agreement on bilateral diplomat training and exchanges.
In June, Guatemalan President Alejandro Giammattei reaffirmed his commitment to the diplomatic recognition of Taiwan in the face of increasing Chinese pressure to switch recognition to Beijing. In January, Guatemala opened a commercial counsellor’s office in Taipei to increase Taiwanese trade and investment in the country. Guatemala has the largest economy of all Taiwan’s official partners and trade between the two countries reached $92 million in 2021.
China will likely denounce Búcaro’s visit and reiterate its demand that Guatemala switch recognition to Beijing. China will likely increase pressure on Guatemala over the issue in the medium term by offering increasing amounts of foreign aid and investment. Despite Giammattei’s commitment to Taiwan, the instability of his government and China’s expanding economic clout in the region will potentially cause Guatemala to switch recognition in the coming decade.
