GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – Guatemalan President Bernardo Arevalo said on Friday that China had refused entry to some shipments from the country’s US border, and speculated that this was due to diplomatic ties between Guatemala and Taiwan.
The previous day, the Guatemalan Exporters Association reported that at least seven containers of macadamia nuts had been prevented from entering China and traders had been told their imports of Guatemalan macadamia nuts and coffee would be rejected.
Guatemala is one of just 12 countries with diplomatic ties with Taiwan, which China claims as its democratically ruled island but rejects.
“As you know, a new government was inaugurated a few days ago in Taiwan, which has ties to Guatemala,” Arevalo said during a live Q&A on TikTok. “There could be some conflict with China related to this.”
Guatemala’s Foreign Minister Carlos Ramiro Martinez attended the inauguration ceremony of Taiwan’s President Lai Ching-te on Monday.
Arevalo said the Guatemalan government was working to resolve the issue, but that China had not responded.
Guatemala exported $82 million worth of goods to China last year, according to the exporters’ association.
According to a statement from Taiwan’s Presidential Office, Lai and Arevalo met via video conference on Tuesday, with Lai thanking Arevalo for his steadfast support and calling for further strengthening relations.
The statement added that Lai had invited Arevalo to visit Taiwan and that Arevalo had invited him to visit Guatemala.
Then-President Tsai Ing-wen visited Guatemala last year, a week after neighboring Honduras severed diplomatic ties with Taipei and established them with Beijing.
(Reporting by Sophia Menchu; Additional reporting by Ben Blanchard in Taipei; Editing by Brendan O’Boyle, William Mallard and Sonali Paul)
