November 29, 2021
No. 254
At the invitation of the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Valerie Woods, Speaker of the Belizean House of Representatives, and Clarita Pech, Deputy Clerk of the National Assembly, will visit Taiwan from November 30 to December 4. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs extends a sincere welcome to Speaker Woods and Deputy Clerk Pech.
During her visit, Speaker Woods will attend and deliver opening remarks at the 2021 Open Parliament Forum, which is due to be held in Taipei on December 2 and 3. Speaker Woods and Deputy Clerk Pech will also meet with President Tsai Ing-wen and Legislative Yuan President You Si-kun; attend receptions hosted by Legislative Yuan President You, Minister of Foreign Affairs Jaushieh Joseph Wu, and Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Tien, Chung-kwang; and visit the Legislative Yuan, the National Palace Museum, and other sites of cultural and economic interest.
Valerie Woods has served as speaker of Belize’s 13th House of Representatives since December 2020. She previously visited Taiwan in 2003 and 2016. This visit, being the first in her capacity as speaker, demonstrates Belize’s friendship with Taiwan and the importance Belize attaches to deepening ties. Speaker Woods has been a fervent supporter of Taiwan’s participation in international organizations, and in May she joined Speaker Carolyn Trench-Sandiford of the Belizean Senate in writing to the director-general of the World Health Organization to express the Belizean National Assembly’s staunch support for Taiwan’s participation in the World Health Assembly as an observer. In addition, while attending a joint meeting of the Formosa Clubs for the Latin American and Caribbean regions on October 26, Speaker Woods signed a joint statement calling on the international community to support Taiwan’s participation in such international mechanisms and organizations as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, INTERPOL, and the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership based on the principles of professionalism, pragmatism, and making contributions.
Diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Belize are solid, and the two countries have long enjoyed close cooperation and strong results in such areas as infrastructure, public health and medicine, ICT, agriculture and fisheries, education, rural development, women’s empowerment, and the environment. Furthermore, on November 26, the Legislative Yuan approved the Taiwan-Belize economic cooperation agreement following a third reading, which will have a significant effect on further deepening bilateral cooperation. (E)