Taipei  - Guatemalan President Alvaro Colom will visit Taiwan in October to promote ties, the Central News Agency said on Saturday.

Speaking by phone from Guatemala's capital Guatemala City, Taiwan's new ambassador to Guatemala, Sun Ta-cheng, said Colom had assured him that he will honor his promise to visit Taiwan in October and attend Taiwan's National Day celebrations.

Sun told CNA that Taiwan remains committed to helping Guatemala carry out the second-phase expansion of the CA-9 Highway linking Guatemala City with the Caribbean coast.

The new phase will begin as soon as Guatemala and Taiwan have reviewed the plan and a Taiwan construction firm has been selected to carry out the expansion, Sun said.

Guatemala is one of the 23 countries which recognize Taiwan. China is wooing these countries to drop Taipei and recognize Beijing. (dpa)