President Lai receives delegations from seven allies
2024/05/23
President Lai Ching-te received delegations from seven allies at the Presidential Office May 21 in Taipei City and expressed Taiwan’s commitment to bringing the bilateral relations to new heights.
According to the PO, the delegations from Belize, Eswatini, Guatemala, Palau, Paraguay, St. Vincent and the Grenadines, and the Vatican were in country to attend the previous day’s inauguration of Lai and Vice President Hsiao Bi-khim.
Lai began his second day in office by welcoming Paraguay President Santiago Peña Palacios and reminiscing with him about Peña’s own inauguration last August, which Lai attended as former President Tsai Ing-wen’s envoy. The new president then received King Mswati III of Eswatini, and the two heads of state witnessed the signing of a joint communiqué and two memorandums of understanding on digital commerce and central bank cooperation.
While meeting with President Surangel S. Whipps Jr. of Palau, Lai cited the two’s reciprocal visits since 2021 as evidence of the robust ties between the two countries spanning 25 years, and said he hoped to deepen exchanges to promote mutual development and prosperity.
During meetings with Prime Minister John Briceño of Belize, Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves of St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Guatemalan Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martínez, the president thanked the allies for speaking up for Taiwan in international forums. He added that Taiwan looks forward to enhanced cooperation across the board going forward.
Lai also held a video call with President Bernardo Arévalo of Guatemala and, on behalf of the government and people of Taiwan, congratulated him on his January inauguration. While receiving Archbishop Charles John Brown, apostolic nuncio to the Philippines and Pope Francis’ special envoy at Lai’s inauguration, Lai pledged to keep working with the Holy See to ensure religious freedom along with regional peace and stability.
Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)
