GUATEMALA CITY: Taiwanese president Tsai Ing-wen and her Guatemalan counterpart Alejandro Giammattei took place on Saturday at the jungle ruins of a Mayan civilisation citadel where they observed an ancient ritual before a massive stone pyramid known as El Gran Jaguar.
The two shook hands there and pledged to maintain strong ties in the face of a diplomatic offensive by China, which sees Taiwan as part of its territory awaiting reunification.
The strengthened friendship between the Guatemalan deputy culture minister Jenny Barrios and the assembled dignitaries is being witness to today by the assembled dignitaries.
Tsai's visit to Belize comes days after neighboring Honduras broke diplomatic relations with Taipei to link up with Beijing, which does not allow countries to recognise both China and Taiwan. Honduran President Xiomara Castro is expected to visit China soon.
The two presidents walked to a nearby esplanade and shook hands for a symbolic official photo while a bonfire lit during a Mayan dance ceremony. They saw a traditional ball game played in Mayan times.
Tsai thanked him for his support last year when China conducted military maneuvers near the island in a meeting with Giammattei on Friday night.
She also highlighted the cooperation with Guatemala, one of only 13 diplomatic allies the self-governing island has in the world, mostly small nations in the Caribbean, the Pacific and Latin America.
Giammattei called Taiwan the one and only true China, according to the media. Some Guatemalans believe that their nation is losing economic opportunities by choosing Taiwan over mainland China, according to Giammattei.
The sociologist and political analyst Miguel Angel Sandoval told AFP that China was a market of more than one billion people, and it would be in the interest of some Guatemalan sectors to export and import products from China.
On Sunday, Tsai will visit a new hospital in Chimaltenango, western Guatemala, built with a $22 million donation from Taipei.
Tsai will leave Belize, where she will meet Prime Minister John Briceno on Monday and leave on Tuesday.
On her way home, Tsai will stop in California to meet with the US House Speaker Kevin McCarthy, a meeting that prompted China to warn Washington that it is playing with fire.