Taiwanese President to Visit Belize in April

Taiwanese President Tsai Ing-Wen is returning to Belize for a second time during her two terms in office.  The Government of Belize announced this morning that the President of the Republic of China (Taiwan) will be heading a delegation to Belize in early April.  She will meet with Prime Minister John Briceño, Cabinet, as well as other members of parliament.  She will also deliver an address at a joint sitting of parliament.  Of note is that President Tsai Ing-Wen’s visit comes on the heels of Honduras’ recent announcement that it will become an ally of mainland China.

Prime Minister John Briceño

Prime Minister John Briceño

“We’re quite excited about President Tsai visiting Belize, well for the second time.  In my trip to Panama, I did meet also with representatives from Taiwan, talking to them about the cooperation that we have, the friendship that we have between Belize and Taiwan and making the very point that we gained our independence because we were given the right to self-determination and likewise, we believe that the Taiwanese people should be given that opportunity for being, to have that right to self-determination.  By every metric that you take, Taiwan meets the criteria to be considered a country. So now with the president coming to Belize, I think it just helps to strengthen that relationship that we have, that friendship that we have, that support for one another.  We give them support, they give us support in so many different ways.  So we are happy that she’s coming and I’m sure that most of our Belizean citizens are also excited and looking forward to get a glimpse of the president here with her delegation in Belize.”