Minister Lin (right) and Minister Sinal (left) exchange gifts

Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung met separately on November 20 with Haitian Minister of Health and Population Bertrand Sinal as well as with Guatemalan Minister of Public Health and Social Assistance Joaquín Barnoya and Vice Minister Edgar Rolando González. They exchanged in-depth views on such issues as bilateral smart health care cooperation and medical personnel talent cultivation.

Minister Lin thanked Haiti for speaking up for Taiwan at the 156th session of the World Health Organization Executive Board in February and at the World Health Assembly in May, as well as for sending a letter in support of Taiwan to the WHO Secretariat. He also briefed Minister Sinal on Taiwan’s One Country, One Center plan for smart health care. Under the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project, it seeks to assist Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in advancing their health care systems for the benefit of local peoples. 

Minister Sinal expressed appreciation for Taiwan’s warm hospitality during his visit and admiration of Taiwan’s remarkable achievements in medicine and health care. He said that Haiti had been elected to the WHO Executive Board this year and would continue to support Taiwan’s participation in international organizations. Moreover, he expressed a desire to continue strengthening exchanges with Taiwan in such areas as primary health care, the public health system, and talent cultivation.

Minister Lin (right) and Minister Barnoya (left) exchange gifts

Minister Lin also met with the Guatemalan delegation led by Minister Barnoya. He thanked Minister Barnoya for the heartfelt reception during his visit to Guatemala last October. Minister Lin highlighted the successful cooperation between the two sides on the completion of the National Hospital of Chimaltenango and the neonatal building of San Juan de Dios Hospital, as well as the joint implementation of a maternal and neonatal health care project in Guatemala. He affirmed that Taiwan looked forward to steadily deepening its partnership with Guatemala in public health and medicine under the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project. 

Minister Barnoya noted that he had greatly benefited from attending the 2025 Global Health and Welfare Forum in Taiwan and visiting National Taiwan University Hospital. He lauded Taiwan’s advanced medical standards and comprehensive National Health Insurance system, saying that they served as a model for other countries. He emphasized that Taiwan-Guatemala public health initiatives had received widespread recognition and appreciation in Guatemala and expressed hopes for continued collaboration to enhance the professional capacities of Guatemalan health care personnel.

Ministers Sinal and Barnoya participated in the 2025 Global Health and Welfare Forum in Taiwan, cohosted by the Ministry of Health and Welfare and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The event was attended by 25 health ministers, vice ministers, and senior officials specializing in medicine, health care, and social welfare from 13 countries, as well as 40 international experts from 10 countries—including the United States, European nations, and Japan. They shared practical expertise in the domains of global health and social welfare. The forum fostered closer interactions and connections among participating countries and received wide international recognition. (E)