Photo: Taiwanese President, Dr. Tsai Ing-wen and Governor General H.E. Dame Froyla Tzalam
Belize, Taiwan solidify diplomatic ties
BELIZE CITY, Mon. Apr. 3, 2023
Having lost one more diplomatic ally with Honduras’ People’s Republic of China switch last month, the Republic of China (Taiwan)’s first female president, Dr. Tsai Ing-wen, embarked on a second Central America visit in less than five years. The objective of the trip is to solidify ties with Guatemala and Belize, its only two remaining supporters in the seven-country sub-region.
After a three-day stopover in Guatemala, Dr. Tsai and her delegation touched down at the Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport (PGIA) at 4:00 p.m. on Sunday, April 2, in a China Airlines Airbus A350-900 aircraft. Awaiting her arrival on the tarmac were Governor General H.E. Dame Froyla Tzalam and Ambassador Amalia Mai. Thereafter, President Tsai Ing-wen hosted a dinner with members of the Belize Taiwanese community at the Belize Biltmore Plaza Hotel, where she delivered remarks in Mandarin.
On Monday at the Leigh Richardson Building in Belmopan, Belize Foreign Minister, H.E. Eamon Courtenay, and Taiwan Foreign Minister, H.E. Dr. Jaushieh Joseph Wu, signed a Technical Cooperation Framework Agreement which updates a 1996 cooperation agreement. The signing was witnessed by President Tsai and Prime Minister of Belize, Hon. John Briceño. As outlined by P.M. Briceño, the cooperation areas include agriculture, forestry, technology, education, climate change, youth and women, health, tourism, and other areas of mutual interest.
Two years after establishing diplomatic relations with Belize almost 34 years ago on October 11, 1989, Taiwan created a technical mission to assist the Jewel with the implementation of its different growth and development initiatives. Ongoing currently is the sheep and goat breeding project out of Central Farm, which President Tsai visited Monday afternoon.
Speaking at an opening ceremony for the breeding center tour, Belize’s Minister of Agriculture, Food Security and Enterprise, Hon. Jose Abelardo Mai, emphatically declared, “… so long as I am a Minister of Government and have influence in Belize’s diplomatic decisions, whether I’m in Government or in Opposition, I will be a strong advocate for Belize to remain steadfast in its support for Taiwan’s sovereignty and independence.” He expressed admiration for Taiwan’s approach to agricultural development. Mai emphasized that Belize has “… much to learn about the ROC (Taiwan)’s path to economic independence, focusing first on developing its primary agriculture production, then moving into agro-processing, value adding and overall industrial development, while, at the same time, moving to small scale mechanization and modernizing its agricultural services. Taiwan’s agricultural development was all guided by strategic decision-making and was built on a strong foundation of research, technology and a strong approach to local and international marketing.” Minister Mai also credited Taiwan’s intervention for the increase in the number of genetically improved head of sheep to 17,264 in 2022 by 474 farmers. The project is in a second phase of sheep breeding and goat production, and Mai revealed that they have submitted a project concept for funding from ICDF Taiwan for a third phase.
Another ongoing Belize-Taiwan initiative is the improvement of the medical imaging system in Belize. Meanwhile, a large-scale initiative designed to assist vulnerable populations, including women and youth impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic, is the Women Economic Empowerment Project. To date, over 700 women have benefitted from vocational training and financial support to pursue their entrepreneurial aspirations. Before her departure Tuesday, President Tsai viewed an exhibition prepared by beneficiaries of the initiative.
All the initiatives just mentioned are separate from the popular Taiwan scholarship opportunities for Belizean students. For students living in Belize, President Tsai, during her trip, donated 5,000 Taiwan-manufactured laptops destined for students in vulnerable communities. In her brief remarks at the handing over ceremony on Monday, President Tsai stated, “both our ongoing projects and future commitments are signs of bright futures for our bilateral ties. I look forward to working closely with Belize to achieve our shared goals. May our collaboration continue to flourish just as it has over the past 34 years.”