By Enrique Garcia
GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) – An anti-corruption presidential candidate, whose surprise showing in Guatemala’s first-round election on Sunday launched him into a runoff vote later this summer, said on Tuesday he would pursue closer relations with China if he wins the presidency.
“We need to work on our trade relations and expand them in the case of China,” said Bernardo Arevalo in an interview with local radio program Con Criterio.
Guatemala, Central America’s most populous country, has for decades opted for ties with Taiwan instead of the Asian giant.
Arevalo’s comments follow China’s success in recent years peeling off one-time allies of Taipei.
Guatemala is one of only 12 countries, plus the Vatican, with official diplomatic ties with China-claimed Taiwan.
In March, Honduras’ leftist President Xiomara Castro opened relations with China after cutting ties with Taiwan.
Arevalo, a 64-year-old center-left congressman and son of a former president, said he seeks “to maintain good political relations with the Republic of China and Taiwan within the framework of mutual respect.”
The candidate, who finished second in the crowded field behind Sandra Torres, the wife of another former president, stressed the need for a foreign policy based on Guatemala’s own interests.
“Let’s be the owners of our foreign policy,” said Arevalo, adding that no one else should dictate the country’s position.
Torres will face Arevalo in the August runoff. She has promised to maintain Guatemala’s Taiwan ties.
In April, Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-wen visited Guatemala a week after the rupture with Honduras. Guatemala’s outgoing president, conservative Alejandro Giammattei, followed up with his own visit to Taiwan later that month, promising to deepen ties.
The United States, Guatemala’s top trading partner, has tried to stem Taiwan’s diplomatic losses in the region.
A defection by Guatemala would leave tiny Belize as Taiwan’s last Central American ally.
(Reporting by Enrique Garcia; Writing by Brendan O’Boyle; Editing by Sandra Maler)
