Taipei and Belmopan established sister city relations April 29 to boost cultural, environmental, trade and tourism ties between the capitals of Taiwan and Central American diplomatic ally Belize.
The agreement was concluded by Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je and Belmopan Mayor Khalid Belisle at a ceremony in the northern Taiwan metropolis. According to Taipei City Government, the pair agreed to seal the partnership while attending the 33rd International Mayors Conference Feb. 24-28 in Israel.
Speaking at the signing, Ko expressed thanks to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for helping build bridges between TCG and municipal authorities in Belmopan. With this year marking the 30th anniversary of Taiwan-Belize diplomatic relations, this accord will help further expand people-to-people exchanges between the two sides, he added.
According to Ko, Taipei boasts a cutting-edge information and communication technology sector and is committed to sharing its know-how in fostering related industrial development with Belmopan. New tie-ups in this field will help bolster Taipei’s profile overseas and strengthen the living environments for the people of both cities, he said.
Belisle said this is Belmopan’s first sister city agreement and represents a significant milestone in Taiwan-Belize relations. Belmopan looks forward to learning from Taipei’s expertise in such areas as public transportation and social welfare support for the disadvantaged, young people and seniors, he added.
With the signing of this pact, Taipei has established sister relations with 49 cities in 35 countries and territories since its first with the U.S. metropolis of Houston in 1961, according to TCG.
Taiwan and Belize established diplomatic ties in 1989 and have forged a steadfast partnership spanning such sectors as agriculture, education, health care, infrastructure and tourism. (CPY-E)
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