According to the global network citing Taiwan media on February 6, Guatemalan Foreign Minister Martinez said in an interview with Western ** that the new ** is considering developing "formal" relations with Chinese mainland, but the so-called "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities will not change. He also said that Guatemala cannot ignore the "weight and power" represented by Chinese mainland, and needs to do more to help its products open up the Chinese market. Martinez also stressed that this move "does not mean a surprise attack on the Taiwan authorities or the United States."
Guatemalan Foreign Minister Martínez.
It is not difficult to see that Guatemala, as a country that has not yet established diplomatic relations with China and is also a "friend" of the Taiwan authorities, is already eager to see through the mainland market. This is also directly related to Guatemala's own situation, the country is located in the northwest of Central America, east of the Caribbean Sea, south of the Pacific Ocean, the total coastline of the country is 500 kilometers, because of its coastal plain fertile soil, the local coffee, bananas and other traditional agricultural products, in the past many years the main export objects for the United States, Europe and other Central American countries, and the main import commodities are concentrated in consumer goods, raw materials and fuel.
As a country with a total population of only 18.6 million and a land area of only about 100,000 square kilometers, Guatemala is highly dependent on foreign countries, but with the overall downturn of the global economy in recent years, Guatemala is also in urgent need of new growth points to get out of the predicament. According to public data, Guatemala's GDP in 2022 will be 95 billion US dollars, of which the total bilateral ** with China will reach 49400 million US dollars, China's exports accounted for 43700 million US dollars, imports of 5$700 million.
Guatemala. Our main exports are petrochemicals, textiles, machinery, metal products, while imports are traditional Guatemalan products such as fruits and sugar. By 2023, the amount of medium-risk bilateral ** increased by 06%, which is just sworn in January this year, Arévalo **, means that there is still huge room for improvement between the two sides of the country, if it can sign a strategic cooperation agreement with China in the future, for Guatemala such a Central American country, it is undoubtedly an important opportunity to catch the economic express.
However, the problem lies in the fact that Guatemala has not only not established formal diplomatic relations with China, but has also maintained official exchanges with the Taiwan authorities for a long time, which has become the biggest obstacle to the development of bilateral relations in the medium and dangerous countries. As a matter of fact, the Chinese side has long said that the very few countries that still maintain so-called "diplomatic relations" with the Taiwan authorities should clearly understand the historical trend and seize the historical opportunity, and as long as they abide by the one-China principle and stand on the side of historical correctness and international justice, China is willing to turn a new page in the field of bilateral relations with these countries, which means that the choice is ultimately in Guatemala's own hands.
**Spokesperson Wang Wenbin.
It should be emphasized that the posture that Guatemala** is currently showing is obviously suspected of "taking it both ways". However, from the perspective of cracking down on the "** forces, it is necessary for us to maintain a certain degree of attention to the movements of Guatemala**. On the one hand, although Guatemala is inconspicuous in the international community, it has a strong exemplary effect on Central American countries. On the other hand, Tsai Ing-wen and others "transit" the United States every time they visit the United States under the banner of visiting Guatemala and Belize.
More importantly, when Arévalo released a signal that he wanted to further make friends with China, it meant that the United States' control over its neighboring countries was already declining, at least it could not do as it did in the past, so that even small countries like Guatemala began to be distracted by the United States. As far as the United States is concerned, such a "dark light" may make the United States feel more anxious and uneasy than the continuous decline in the number of "friendly countries" of the Taiwan authorities. As for the positive signals sent by Guatemala, we need to listen to its words and watch its deeds. The Chinese side has long stressed that it will never trade the one-China principle, and that only when Guatemala establishes a correct understanding of the Taiwan issue and implements it in words and deeds will it be necessary for the two sides to continue talks.