Incoming Guatemala president meets Taiwanese officials ahead of inauguration

Guatemala’s Vice President-elect Karin Herrera met with officials from Taiwan to discuss future cooperation on Saturday, the Central American nation’s incoming government said in a statement.
Guatemalan President-elect Bernardo Arevalo and Herrera are due to take office on Sunday. Arevalo has said he aims to expand ties with China while maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan.
The Central American country is one of only 13 nations that maintain diplomatic ties with Chinese-claimed Taiwan. Honduras in March ended its decades-long relationship with Taipei in favour of Beijing following the election in late 2021 of Xiomara Castro as president.
In the meeting with Taiwan’s Foreign Minister Joseph Wu and Taiwanese Ambassador Miguel Li-jey Tsao, Herrera discussed “possibilities of cooperation” and thanked the officials for their support, the statement by Arevalo’s camp said.
The Taiwanese officials also spoke about future commercial actions, the statement added.