Guatemala support for Taiwan will not stop 'reunification' of China and Taiwan, says China

Taiwan President Tsai Ing-wen meets Guatemala's Foreign Minister Mario Bucaro at the presidential office in Taipei, Taiwan in this handout released August 30, 2022. Taiwan Presidential Office/Handout via REUTERS

(Corrects 'unification' to 'reunification' in headline and first paragraph)

BEIJING (Reuters) - Guatemalan support for Taiwan will not stop the "reunification" of China and Taiwan, Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Zhao Lijian said on Tuesday.

Zhao told reporters in Beijing during a regular news briefing that Taiwan's ruling Democratic Progressive Party was using countries that have diplomatic ties with Taiwan for "political manipulation".

Guatemalan Foreign Minister Mario Bucaro said on Tuesday his country would "always support Taiwan".

(This story corrects 'unification' to 'reunification' in headline and first paragraph)

(Reporting by Eduardo Baptista, writing by Yew Lun Tian, Editing by Alex Richardson)