Belize parliament backs Taiwan’s international participation

By Stacy Hsu and Teng Pei-ju

TAIWAN / BELIZE, (CNA) – The Belizean House of Representatives on Friday passed a motion, for the first time since it established diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan) in 1989, to express its support for Taiwan’s participation in international organizations.

The motion was proposed by Belize’s prime minister John Briceño. It marked the first time that the House of Representatives of the Caribbean ally has adopted a motion in relation to Taiwan’s participation in international affairs in more than three decades.

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 it had exhibited generosity and made contributions to other countries in recent years.

The motion noted in particular that Taiwan had assisted Belize in its fight against COVID-19 pandemic by providing the Caribbean nation medical supplies, and personal protective equipment, among others.

The donations made by Taiwan demonstrated its commitments to helping its allies and international partners in need, the motion added.

In addition, Taiwan is “a faithful ally and development partner” to Belize, the motion said.

“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.

In its statement released later the same day, Taiwan’s embassy in Belize said the motion stood as testimony to the strong relationship between Taiwan and Belize.

The diplomatic relations between the two countries remain robust and bilateral trade ties are likely to be further strengthened following the ratification of an economic cooperation agreement on January 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.