Earlier this week, Guatemalan media reported that Giammattei would leave for Taiwan on April 22 to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation.
"President Alejandro Giammattei will visit the Republic of China (Taiwan) from April 24-26 in response to an invitation issued by [Taiwanese] President ... Tsai Ing-wen during her recent working trip to Guatemala. The president's visit will reaffirm [Guatemala's] support for the sovereignty of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and strengthen the 86-year-long diplomatic relations," the statement read.
During the trip, Guatemala's delegation led by Giammattei will hold a number of official meetings with the Taiwanese leader and members of the island's parliament. The delegation also plans to present investment projects to the country's partners and visit Taiwanese companies and plants, "the industrial model of which could be reproduced in Guatemala," the statement added.
On March 29, the Taiwanese delegation led by Tsai departed for a 10-day trip to Guatemala and Belize. During her stay in Guatemala, the Taiwanese leader met with Giammattei and other high-ranking Guatemalan officials. Tsai also attended a reception with Taiwanese expatriates in Latin America and Taiwanese technical mission personnel.
Guatemala is among 13 states that diplomatically recognize Taiwan. Those also include Belize, Haiti, the Marshall Islands, Nauru, Palau, Paraguay, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Eswatini, Tuvalu and the Vatican. There used to be more, but in the recent years, many states decided to break off their relations with the island and establish diplomatic ties with mainland China instead. Taiwan maintains cooperation with other states through its economic and cultural representative offices.
Taiwan has been governed independently from mainland China since 1949. Beijing views the island as its province, while Taiwan — a territory with its own elected government — maintains that it is an autonomous country but stops short of declaring independence. Beijing opposes any official contacts of foreign states with Taipei and considers Chinese sovereignty over the island indisputable.