Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesperson Responds To Taiwanese Representatives Visiting Guatemala

JAKARTA - The Chinese government said Taiwanese foreign official Lin Chia-lung's visit to Guatemala would not shake the principle of "One China".

"The more knowledgeable people in Guatemala realize that establishing diplomatic relations with China is a fundamental and long-term interest for Guatemala and its people," Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian said, quoting Antara.

It is known that Taiwan's highest diplomatic official Lin Chia-lung from his social media pages made a visit to Guatemala on Thursday (24/11) as part of an 11-day trip to Taiwan's five diplomatic allies in the Caribbean and Latin America.

Currently, there are only 12 countries that have diplomatic relations with Taiwan, namelyaturation, Guatemala, Paraguay, Haiti, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Marshall Islands, Palau, Bribery, Eswatini and the Vatican.

"Let me emphasize that there is only one China in the world, Taiwan is an irreversible part of China's territory and the government of the People's Republic of China is the only legitimate government representing the whole of China," added Lin Jian.

On this day, 53 years ago, said Lin Jian, the UN General Assembly adopted Resolution 2758 which restored the legitimate position of the People's Republic of China at the United Nations.

"The fact that 183 countries in the world have established diplomatic relations with China fully proves that the efforts of the Taiwanese authorities to use countries that have so-called 'plomatic relations' with Taiwan for political manipulation and the 'Taiwan independence' agenda will not yield results," said Lin Jian.

Lin Chia-lung's visit is considered not to destabilize the prevailing consensus on the principle of "One China" or to stop the growing trend towards China's reunification.

"We hope the Guatemalan government will see this trend, fulfill the wishes of its people and make the right choices as soon as possible," added Lin Jian.

As long as the delegation was in Guatemala, Lin said he would meet with President Bernardo Arevalo and Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Mart Mariez.

Taiwan established diplomatic relations with Guatemala in 1934, when the Taiwanese government was still on mainland China.

Lin will also visit St. Vincent and Grenadines to attend the celebration of the country's 45th Independence Day on October 27, 2024. Furthermore, Lin will stop at St. Lucia, airing, and St. Kitts and Nevis, where he is scheduled to hold bilateral talks with leaders and high-ranking officials, as well as witness the results of the cooperation project.