Taiwanese Foreign Minister Conferred with Order of Distinction

Immediately on his arrival today, the Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu was conferred with the Order of Distinction.  Wu, who is in country on a two-day visit to Belize on the invitation of Minister Wilfred Elrington, received the distinction in recognition of the friendly relations between Belize and Taiwan. Both countries established diplomatic ties in 1989, and have enjoyed strong bilateral relations ever since with Taiwan as a generous partner. As a part of his visit, Minister Wu met with parliamentary leaders and toured the National Assembly of Belize.  Here’s a look at today’s conferral ceremony where both Foreign Affairs Ministers shared a few words.

Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington

Wilfred ‘Sedi’ Elrington, Foreign Minister, Belize

“The Government of Belize, on the instructions of the Cabinet is conferring on him the second highest honor that Belize can confer on a foreign official, that is, our Order of Distinction. We do so as a token of our nation’s gratitude to the Government and People of Taiwan for the very fruitful cooperation, partnership which Belize has enjoyed with Taiwan over the past twenty-nine years. Taiwan ranks among Belize’s foremost partners in development. Taiwan invariably accredits it finest diplomats to our country. And those diplomats leave no stones unturned to ensure that Belize obtains the maximum benefits from Taiwan’s expansive of cooperation programme.”

Jaushieh Joseph Wu

Dr. Jaushieh Joseph Wu, Taiwanese Minister of Foreign Affairs

“I understand that this award symbolizes the staunch friendship between Belize and the Republic of China-Taiwan and it affirms the successful development of our bilateral relationship. With that award, as I told Minister Elrington, I am ever more motivated to work on our bilateral relationship. This is the first trip to Belize for me and my wife.   Over the years, our efforts in infrastructure development, agriculture and fisheries, ICT and education have been great successes.  I am deeply gratified to see this. They are a testament to our friendship. In the years ahead, I am confident that you will see Taiwan work even harder to share its successful development experiences with your great country. Over the years, Belize has unwaveringly support Taiwan’s international participation and for this we are also eternally grateful. I thank Minister Elrington, in particular, for speaking up for Taiwan at the UN General Debate over the past several years and look forward for your continuing support. Taiwan and Belize are two countries with shared values and joint interests. We want to continue to strengthen our close cooperation in order to further the fruits of our relationship. We look forward to working together to deep bilateral relations in the years to come.”