The Belizean House of Representatives on Friday passed a motion, for the first time since it established diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1989, to express its support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.
The motion was proposed by Belizian Prime Minister John Briceno.
It marked the first time that the House of Representatives of the Caribbean ally adopted a motion in relation to Taiwan’s participation in international affairs in more than three decades.
Photo courtesy of the Embassy of Republic of China (Taiwan) in Belize via CNA
The motion states that the House “expresses its full support for Taiwan’s participation in all related international organizations, including the United Nations, the World Health Assembly, the International Criminal Police Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.”
“Taiwan is an indispensable part of the global community, and Taiwan can play and has played a critical role in the world,” the motion said, adding that Taiwan had exhibited generosity and made contributions to other countries in recent years.
The motion said in particular that Taiwan had assisted Belize in its fight against the COVID-19 pandemic by providing the Caribbean nation with medical supplies and personal protective equipment, among other needs.
The donations made by Taiwan demonstrated its commitment to helping its allies and international partners in times of crisis, it said, adding that the country is “a faithful ally and development partner” to Belize.
“For these 33 years of friendship, Belize and Taiwan have continuously supported and helped each other, and closely cooperated in numerous areas, ranging from infrastructure, medical and public health, agriculture, sustainable environment, information and communication technology to culture and education,” it said.
Taiwan’s embassy in Belize said in a statement the same day that the motion stood as testimony to the strong relationship between Taiwan and Belize.
Diplomatic relations between the countries remain robust, and bilateral trade ties are likely to be further bolstered given the ratification of an economic cooperation agreement on Jan. 15, the statement said.
It added that Taiwan would continue working with Belize in the hope of fostering more collaborations that would benefit the people of the two countries.
Ninth graders were asked to define “trolling” on this year’s standardized exam, reflecting efforts to make the test better reflect real-life situations. Adjustments to this year’s Comprehensive Assessment Program for Junior High School Students were revealed on Sunday, after the last cohort of students completed the test over the weekend. The Ministry of Education solicited feedback about the test from teachers, who approved of the new question in the English portion. Not only was question No. 20 “very much in line with real-life situations,” but it also used a new style in which students were asked to ascertain the correct dictionary definition based
Taiwan is on alert for monkeypox, a rare viral disease that has caused 87 infections in 11 countries over the past three weeks, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said on Saturday. The WHO on Friday convened an emergency session to discuss a sudden outbreak of monkeypox in North America and Europe. Since the beginning of this month, 87 confirmed cases and 28 possible cases have been identified in 11 countries. The countries with the highest case counts are England with 29 cases, and Portugal and Spain with 23 each. Monkeypox is a viral zoonotic disease occurring primarily in the tropical rainforest areas
ADAPTING: The CECC said the policy change would happen this week at the earliest, while PCR testing stations would be used to diagnose people and prescribe drugs The general public would be able to use a positive rapid test result that has been confirmed by a doctor for COVID-19 diagnosis starting later this week at the soonest, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday, as it reported 79,441 new local infections and 53 deaths. The center on Saturday announced that it was expanding the rapid test diagnosis policy to people living in indigenous townships and outlying islands, starting today. Minister of Health and Welfare Chen Shih-chung (陳時中), who heads the center, yesterday said the policy might be further expanded to include “all people” this week, at the soonest. He
About 47 percent of people whose deaths were related to COVID-19 this year have died within three days of testing positive, while 33 percent died within three to seven days, the Central Epidemic Command Center (CECC) said yesterday. Centers for Disease Control (CDC) Deputy Director-General Chuang Jen-hsiang (莊人祥), the center’s spokesman, said 66,247 new local cases, 36 imported cases and 40 deaths were confirmed yesterday. As the number of daily confirmed cases has dropped in the past four days, from 90,331 cases on Thursday last week to 66,247 cases yesterday, the center was asked if Taiwan has reached the peak of a