President Tsai meets Belize PM Briceno, vows to strengthen two-way ties

2022/03/11

President Tsai Ing-wen received Belize Prime Minister John Briceno and his wife March 9 at the Presidential Office in Taipei City, reaffirming the government’s commitment to expanding Taiwan’s relationship with the Central American ally.
 
The president welcomed Briceno, who is leading a ministerial delegation in the country March 8-12, with a military salute before the meeting. Other high-profile attendees included Vice President Lai Ching-te, Secretary-General to the President David Tawei Lee and Foreign Minister Jaushieh Joseph Wu.
 
According to Tsai, the preferential tariff treatment and investment protection under the Taiwan-Belize Economic Cooperation Agreement that took effect in January are helping the two allies develop an even closer economic and trade partnership.
 
The president lauded Belize’s outstanding economic performance under the PM’s leadership, citing the country’s efforts to capitalize on the restructuring of global supply chains to accelerate trade expansion.
 
As the world heads toward post-pandemic recovery, Taiwan looks forward to forging even closer cooperation with Belize in a wide range of areas including agriculture, education, disease prevention and women’s empowerment, Tsai said.
 
In response, Briceno said the robust bilateral relations spanning 33 years are built upon the shared values of democracy, respect for human rights and the rule of law. The people of Belize support Taiwan and its right to self-determination, peaceful coexistence with its neighbors and membership in international organizations, he added.
 
Later the same day, the president hosted a state luncheon and conferred Order of Propitious Clouds with Special Grand Cordon on Briceno in recognition of his contributions to the two-way relationship.
 
Tsai thanked Briceno for speaking up for Taiwan at numerous international events and backing the country’s global participation. She also expressed her hope that the two sides would continue supporting each other to create an even more stable and prosperous future for the people on both sides. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)