Guatemala City, by Brenda Larios -AGN – As part of his official visit to the Republic of China (Taiwan,) the President of Guatemala visited Taichung, the second most populated city after New Taipei.
The head of government traveled with his delegation on a high-speed train. This train reaches a maximum speed of 186 miles per hour and offers standard and business-class wagons.
The wagons are equipped with automatic vending machines for snacks, and the business-class cars offer complimentary food, newspapers, and music.
Train stations are spacious and with modern architecture; also, for greater convenience, several transportation connections are direct to each city’s trains, buses, or subways.
This service is free of charge to go downtown, which allows passengers to save a lot of time commuting.
Guatemalan Coffee
During his ride on the high-speed train, President Giammattei announced that Guatemalan coffee was declared the official beverage of this transportation service.
“The first cup of coffee served on the bullet train of the Republic of China (Taiwan) is from Guatemala,” the president stated.
President Giammattei mentioned, “This coffee has been declared the official beverage of those who travel by bullet train, reminding us that Guatemala is amazing and unstoppable.”
According to the National Coffee Association -Anacafé- in the coffee season 2021-2022, from October 1, 2021, to September 30, 2022, the equivalent of 3.32 million bags of 60 kilos and 1,136 million 175,862 dollars were exported. The Asian market continues to expand its interest in Guatemalan coffee, acquiring 22% of the total harvest.
Coffee exported to the Republic of China (Taiwan) represents 2% of the total of exported coffee, which that is 52,000 bags of 60 kilos of Guatemalan coffee have arrived in the Republic of China (Taiwan.)
This market has demonstrated a stable performance in recent years and has the possibility of increasing.
Taichung City
Upon his arrival in Taichung City, the president underscored how this city is one of the most industrialized in the Republic of China (Taiwan.)
The Guatemalan president stated, “Less than 40 minutes into this high-speed train, we arrived at the industrial city of Taichung. We will get to visit this industrial city because I am sure many investors will visit Guatemala.”
Taichung City is located in the center of the west coast of the island of Taiwan, with a population of over 2.7 million people. It has become the second largest city on the island after Taipei. On December 25, 2010, it merged with Taichung District to form a single municipality. The slogan is to be an economic, cultural, and international city.
The Taichung Industrial Zone is in the Xitun District. The World Trade Center Taichung is the heart of the area, where various shows and trade exhibitions are organized annually. Most of Taichung’s traditional manufacturing headquarters are located in this city district because it is closest to the port.
On this visit, the president was joined by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Minister of Economy, among others.
Guatemalan entrepreneurs
During his visit to Taichung City, the president met three Guatemalan entrepreneurs who run a restaurant called 502 Antigua.
“Today, the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) invited us to a restaurant, and I met three Guatemalans, Jorge, Carlos, and Pablo. After completing their studies, they created this restaurant,” he added.
This restaurant holds all the Guatemalan customs, from the welcoming with marimba to all the details of the Guatemalan traditions framed in photographs and unique pieces of Guatemala.
