Taipei [Taiwan], February 9 (ANI): Taiwan Embassy in Guatemala on Saturday donated 990 tons of white rice and launched a new public health project in partnership with the Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF) and the US-based NGO Food For The Poor, Taiwan News reported.

Ambassador Vivia Chang highlighted that the rice donation represents Taiwan's successful partnership with international NGOs to improve food security in Guatemala.

She added that the joint healthcare project aims to provide dental, pediatric, and general medical services to 10,000 families in Guatemala.

Vice Chair of Food For The Poor, Mark Khouri expressed gratitude for Taiwan's contributions which have positively the lives of residents in rural Guatemala, as per Taiwan News.

He also mentioned the longstanding partnership between Taiwan ICDF and the NGO in Latin America and the Caribbean over the past 20 years.

According to Taiwan News, the donation comes after US Secretary of State Marco Rubio pledged last week to help Guatemala maintain diplomatic relations with Taiwan. 'It's not easy in a world where there is a lot of pressure to change that recognition and to break those ties,' Rubio said.

Guatemala is one of Taiwan's 11 diplomatic allies. The two countries celebrated 90 years of diplomatic relations in December.

Meanwhile, Guatemala has pledged a 40 per cent increase in deportation flights carrying Guatemalans and migrants of other nationalities from the United States, President Bernardo Arevalo announced Wednesday during a press conference with US Secretary of State Marco Rubio, CNN reported.

Guatemala has also agreed to create a task force for border control and protection along the country's eastern borders. The force, composed of members of the National Police and army, will be tasked with fighting 'all forms of transnational crime,' Arevalo said.

Foreign nationals who arrive in Guatemala through deportation flights will be repatriated to their home countries, Arevalo said, adding that the US and Guatemala would continue to have talks on how the process would work and how the US would cooperate, as per CNN.

Arevalo also said that Rubio has voiced his support for developing infrastructure projects in the Central American nation.

He added that his government would send a delegation to Washington in the coming weeks to negotiate deals for economic investments in Guatemala - which he said would incentivize Guatemalans to stay in their home country and not migrate to the US. (ANI)