The partnership between Taiwan and diplomatic ally Belize will grow stronger, President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) said yesterday at a virtual ceremony to commemorate the 40th anniversary of the Caribbean nation’s independence.
Belize’s embassy in Taiwan and the Taipei-based Central America Trade Office hosted the ceremony and Tsai delivered the congratulatory remark via a pre-recorded video.
“Over our 32 years of diplomatic relations, Taiwan and Belize have developed a close friendship, collaborating on joint projects to promote healthcare, infrastructure and agricultural development,” Tsai said.
Last year, the two nations also signed agreements that would foster deeper collaboration on trade and investment, legal assistance and aviation services, she said.
“Going forward, we will continue to strengthen our nations’ partnership and advance the well-being of our people,” Tsai said, thanking Belize for supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
Belizean Ambassador to Taiwan Candice Pitts underlined in her remarks the friendship and mutual support her country has developed with Taiwan since the two established diplomatic ties in 1989.
“One of the striking commonalities between Belize and Taiwan, as well as our other diplomatic allies here, is the vigor with which we safeguard our territorial integrity and our unadulterated understanding of and appreciation for our sovereignty,” Pitts said.
In a separate pre-recorded video, Belizean Prime Minister John Briceno said that his country cherishes “the special bond between the government and people of Belize and Taiwan,” and looks forward to continued cooperation with friendly nations and allies around the world.
“Even as we continue to deal with our economic, health and other social shocks, we remain committed here in Belize and Taiwan to our core belief in the betterment of our people and in a world truly fit for humanity,” Briceno said.
‘SUSPENDED’: The restrictions are likely to have a greater effect on seafood producers, as exports of food and drinks to China had already decline due to the COVID-19 pandemic China’s customs administration late on Monday announced bans on more than 100 Taiwanese food brands ahead of a visit by US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan. Beijing said that the blacklisted exporters — which include tea, honey and seafood producers — failed to renew their export registration and could therefore only sell their products until the end of this month. The exporters may submit additional documents this month, Food and Drug Administration Director Wu Shou-mei (吳秀梅) said, adding that the agency would help them complete their registrations. The bans might be politically motivated, as Taiwanese manufacturers were treated differently than
MISSILE PATHS: Certain information on the Chinese missile fire was not disclosed to maintain secrecy over military intelligence-gathering capabilities, the MND said Military experts yesterday speculated on the implication of the government’s tight-lipped response and the lack of air-raid sirens during the first day of China’s military drills the previous day. On Thursday, the Chinese People’s Liberation Army (PLA) launched 11 Dongfeng-series ballistic missiles into waters north, east and south of Taiwan, a day after US House of Representative Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s departure from the country, the Ministry of National Defense (MND) said. The Japanese Ministry of Defense said that China fired nine missiles toward Taiwan, including four that flew over Taiwan proper. However, China’s exhibition of force failed to terrorize the local populace, because
UNDER WATCH: Taiwan will have to establish a standardized nucleic acid testing method to identify the virus and monitor its spread, the CDC said The Langya henipavirus, which can be transmitted from animals to humans, has been discovered in China, with 35 human infections reported so far, Taiwan’s Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said, adding that the nation would establish a nucleic acid testing method to identify the virus. A study titled “A Zoonotic Henipavirus in Febrile Patients in China” that was published in the New England Journal of Medicine on Thursday said that a new henipavirus associated with a fever-causing human illness was identified in China. The study said an investigation identified 35 patients with acute infection of the Langya henipavirus in China’s Shandong
Legislators across party lines yesterday welcomed US House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi to Taiwan, marking the first time in 25 years that an incumbent US House speaker has visited the nation. Democratic Progressive Party (DPP) Legislator Hsu Chih-chieh (許智傑) cited the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) support for Pelosi’s visit — including from senior party members KMT Chairman Eric Chu (朱立倫) and former president Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九) — as evidence that President Tsai Ing-wen’s (蔡英文) foreign diplomacy is on the right course. Pelosi’s visit has special meaning for Taiwan and the Indo-Pacific region as a whole, DPP Legislator Wang Ting-yu (王定宇) said. The
RSS