Belize prepares for visit of Taiwanese president

Belize is among only twenty-three countries that maintain diplomatic relations with the Republic of China – Taiwan, going back to 1989. With a population of twenty-three million and no seat at the United Nations, Taiwan has remained a generous partner to its allies because an overwhelming number of countries choose instead to maintain diplomatic ties with Beijing, China. Taiwan, however, hopes to maintain its presence in Central America where it enjoys strong support except for Costa Rica that broke relations in 2007 and shifted to Beijing. So while in the region for the inauguration of Mauricio Funez, as the new president of El Salvador, President Ma Ying-jeou will make his first official visit to Belize from the twenty-seventh to twenty-ninth of May. The occasion is considered a major diplomatic event for Belmopan because Taipei is among the top donors, if not the biggest. The visit is scripted with great detail and the Embassy of Taiwan has now released a program. It is known that the delegation of President Ma numbers two hundred persons including a press corp. Ma will touch down at the Philip Goldson Airport on the evening of May twenty-seventh and will be shuttling between Belize City and the Capital for the duration of his visit. He will be signing a number of agreements to enhance its bilateral program with Belize and will have the rare opportunity to address the National Assembly. Prior to a state reception given in his honour, Ma will be bestowed with the Order of Belize. It is also known that he will be hosting the Taiwanese community to a banquet.