Source: Republic of China Taiwan
October 7, 2025No. 393On October 7, a ceremony was held to mark the relocation of the country office of the Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) in Taiwan. The ceremony was presided over by CABEI Executive President Gisela Sánchez, who led a delegation to Taiwan for the event. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung was invited to attend the ceremony and help unveil the office’s plaque together with Political Deputy Minister of Finance Juan Ching-hwa and Central Bank Counselor Lin Chi-fu.The ceremony was also attended by ambassadors and representatives to Taiwan from several CABEI member countries, including Guatemalan Ambassador Luis Raúl Estévez López, Belizean Ambassador Katherine Vanessa Meighan, Argentina Trade and Cultural Office Director Carlos Alberto Hernández, and Spanish Chamber of Commerce Director General Germán Bejarano García. Many representatives of Taiwan’s financial sector were also present to witness the lively event.Speaking at the ceremony, Minister Lin extended a warm welcome to the CABEI delegation led by Executive President Sánchez. He also noted that the move of the CABEI country office to the Tianmu Diplomatic Quarter would further its collaboration with the embassies and representative offices of CABEI member countries in Taiwan and the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF).In addition, Minister Lin remarked that Taiwan had long taken part in CABEI projects so as to advance Central America’s economic and social development, as well as joint responses to such global challenges as climate change and the COVID-19 pandemic. He praised TaiwanICDF and CABEI for jointly launching the Co-financing Facility for Assisting the Economic Empowerment of Women in the Post-Pandemic of COVID-19 this year. He noted that it would help women in Guatemala start businesses and achieve sustainable operations, adding that such efforts demonstrated Taiwan’s determination to ensure the prosperity of its allies. Meanwhile, Minister Lin stated that since taking office, Executive President Sánchez had actively promoted organizational reforms and transparency, thereby effectively raising CABEI’s credit ratings. He said that Taiwan looked forward to further collaborating with CABEI to jointly improve the bank’s governance.In her remarks, Executive President Sánchez emphasized that Taiwan was an important member and strategic partner that shared CABEI’s values and proactively supported sustainable development in Central American countries. She also said that CABEI highly regarded Taiwan’s robust financial market and that the Taiwan-CABEI Partnership Trust Fund, established by the bank in collaboration with the government of Taiwan, had benefited Taiwan’s allies Guatemala and Belize. She added that she was confident that the new office in Taiwan would serve as an important bridge between Taiwan and Central American countries.Also on October 7, Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Baushuan Ger hosted a luncheon for Executive President Sánchez and her delegation. The two sides exchanged views on a broad range of issues such as the status of ongoing cooperation and CABEI’s reforms.Founded in 1960, CABEI is headquartered in Tegucigalpa, the capital of Honduras. Taiwan joined CABEI as a non-regional member in 1992 and is currently the largest shareholder among the bank’s 15 member countries. In 2021, CABEI opened a country office in Taiwan, its first country office in Asia, which also marked the first time that an intergovernmental organization had established a branch office in Taiwan. (E)