The government and people of Taiwan congratulate Prime Minister John Briceno and the People’s United Party on winning the Belize general election, and looks forward to closer bilateral cooperation across a broad spectrum of areas going forward, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Nov. 12.
It is truly admirable the spirit in which Taiwan’s ally in Central America carried out the electoral process, the MOFA said. The peaceful and smooth process is a credit to Belize and its commitment to promoting democracy, the ministry added.
Briceno was sworn in as Belize’s fifth prime minister by Governor General Sir Colville Young at Government House in the capital Belmopan. He replaces Dean Barrow, who took office in February 2008 and won victories in March 2012 and November 2015.
In a tweet on the MOFA’s Twitter account, the ministry said “The government & people of #Taiwan congratulate @JohnBricenoBZE & People's United Party on victory in the #Belize elections. We look forward to working closely with the PM going forward. Our heartfelt thanks to former PM Barrow for his rock-solid support of bilateral ties.”
These sentiments were echoed by President Tsai Ing-wen in a tweet on her Twitter account. “I’d like to send congratulations to @JohnBricenoPUP on your election as #Belize PM & appreciation to PM Barrow for all we achieved together. #Taiwan enjoys staunch support from Belize, treasures our longstanding friendship & looks forward to continuing our close collaboration.”
Taiwan and Belize celebrated 30 years of diplomatic relations in October 2019. They partner in a variety of areas such as agriculture, culture, education, health care, information and communication technology, and infrastructure.
According to the MOFA, recent highlights include the signing of agreements on economic cooperation, open sky air services and mutual legal assistance in criminal matters. It is expected the two countries will springboard off this strong foundation in deepening friendship and expanding exchanges for the benefit of the people, the ministry said. (YCH-E)
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