A welcoming ceremony was staged at Belize's Philip Goldson International Airport for President Chen Shui-bian (陳水扁), who arrived in the Central American country on Thursday for a one-day state visit.
Chen stepped out of the chartered plane with Belizean Prime Minister Said Musa. Both arrived from Panama City after attending Panamanian President Martin Torrijos' inauguration on Wednesday.
The Belizean ceremony accorded the two leaders full military honors, complete with a 21-gun salute.
Both countries' national anthems were played at the ceremony, where Chen and his entourage received a warm welcome from local Taiwanese expatriates waving the national flag and flag of the ruling Democratic Progressive Party (DPP).
This was Chen's first visit to Belize. Premier Yu Shyi-kun and Vice President Annette Lu (
Chen was interviewed by local media before he paid courtesy calls to Musa and Governor General Sir Colville Young in Belmopan City.
Chen then traveled with Musa to the George Price Center, where he received the keys to the capital city from Mayor Anthony Chanona.
Musa and Chen signed a communique to strengthen the two countries' bilateral ties and decorated each other with honorary medals. Chen was conferred with the Order of Belize while Musa received the Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon award from Chen.
Chen also presented the Belizean leader with a pickup truck and an image of Musa's hometown taken from the nation's ROCSAT-2 satellite.
Chen was slated to meet with local Taiwanese expatriates and members of the government's aid missions to Belize and to attend a ground-breaking ceremony for a gymnasium financed with loans from Taiwan.
Chen also will present a total of 600 footballs and basketballs to the Central American nation as a gift.
Belize is the last leg of Chen's diplomatic tour after his three-day state visit to Panama. He will make a stopover in Seattle before returning home tomorrow.
Former president Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) on Monday called for greater cooperation between Taiwan, Lithuania and the EU to counter threats to information security, including attacks on undersea cables and other critical infrastructure. In a speech at Vilnius University in the Lithuanian capital, Tsai highlighted recent incidents in which vital undersea cables — essential for cross-border data transmission — were severed in the Taiwan Strait and the Baltic Sea over the past year. Taiwanese authorities suspect Chinese sabotage in the incidents near Taiwan’s waters, while EU leaders have said Russia is the likely culprit behind similar breaches in the Baltic. “Taiwan and our European
The Taipei District Court sentenced babysitters Liu Tsai-hsuan (劉彩萱) and Liu Jou-lin (劉若琳) to life and 18 years in prison respectively today for causing the death of a one-year-old boy in December 2023. The Taipei District Prosecutors’ Office said that Liu Tsai-hsuan was entrusted with the care of a one-year-old boy, nicknamed Kai Kai (剴剴), in August 2023 by the Child Welfare League Foundation. From Sept. 1 to Dec. 23 that year, she and her sister Liu Jou-lin allegedly committed acts of abuse against the boy, who was rushed to the hospital with severe injuries on Dec. 24, 2023, but did not
Taiwanese indie band Sunset Rollercoaster and South Korean outfit Hyukoh collectively received the most nominations at this year’s Golden Melody Awards, earning a total of seven nods from the jury on Wednesday. The bands collaborated on their 2024 album AAA, which received nominations for best band, best album producer, best album design and best vocal album recording. “Young Man,” a single from the album, earned nominations for song of the year and best music video, while another track, “Antenna,” also received a best music video nomination. Late Hong Kong-American singer Khalil Fong (方大同) was named the jury award winner for his 2024 album
Hong Kong singer Eason Chan’s (陳奕迅) concerts in Kaohsiung this weekend have been postponed after he was diagnosed with Covid-19 this morning, the organizer said today. Chan’s “FEAR and DREAMS” concert which was scheduled to be held in the coming three days at the Kaohsiung Arena would be rescheduled to May 29, 30 and 31, while the three shows scheduled over the next weekend, from May 23 to 25, would be held as usual, Universal Music said in a statement. Ticket holders can apply for a full refund or attend the postponed concerts with the same seating, the organizer said. Refund arrangements would
RSS