President Ma Ying-jeou and Mrs. Ma on May 28 departed Los Angeles International Airport at 12:05 p.m. West Coast time. After a four-hour flight, the charter plane carrying the president and the delegation from Taiwan arrived at the Philip S. W. Goldson International Airport in Belize at 5:30 p.m. The president was greeted by a rousing welcome from overseas compatriots and the public. Upon arrival in Belize, the ROC Ambassador to Belize, Joseph Shih Ting, and the Belize Chief of Protocol boarded President Ma's plane to personally greet him. In addition, Belize Prime Minister Dean Barrow accompanied President Ma in a troop review ceremony, after which President Ma headed to his hotel.
In the evening, President and Mrs. Ma went to a tourist village to attend a banquet attended by overseas compatriots living in Belize. After being treated to a lion dance performance, President Ma delivered remarks. The president commented that Belize was one of the sources of Mayan culture and has an extremely rich cultural heritage. Belize gained its independence in 1981 and gradually developed relations with countries throughout the world. Belize is a member of the British Commonwealth and is also a party to the CARICOM Single Market and Economy. In addition, the president said, Belize has a two party political system and it identifies with the values of freedom and democracy, just like the ROC.
President Ma also noted that the ROC and Belize have maintained formal diplomatic relations for 20 years. The president specially expressed his appreciation to the ROC diplomatic personnel working in Belize as well as the ROC agricultural technical mission and medical mission stationed in Belize for their many years of hard work. The president said that a deep bond has developed between the two nations. At present, the two nations engage in cooperation in the areas of agriculture, information, medical care and oil exploration. In addition to maintaining the present cooperative relations, the president said that related cooperation projects could be extended or expanded based on assessments carried out by the governments of both sides.
President Ma stressed the new government has promoted the cross-strait policy of "no unification, no independence and no use of force" since it took office last year. In addition, the administration has operated under the principle of "putting Taiwan first for the benefit of the people." Over the past year, he said, relations with mainland China have gradually improved, enabling the people on both sides of the Taiwan Strait to finally see glimpses of peace after 60 years of non-stop military confrontation in the Taiwan Strait. The president said that promoting flexible diplomacy and a diplomatic truce are initiatives that are gradually bearing results. Even though the two sides have yet to formally negotiate an agreement with regards to a diplomatic truce, both sides have shown goodwill in this respect. The situation today is a result of this, he said, citing the fact that Minister of Health Yeh Ching-chuan recently was invited by the World Health Organization in his capacity as "Minister Yeh" to represent the ROC under the name "Chinese Taipei" as an observer at the World Health Assembly. This marked the first time since 1971 when the ROC left the United Nations that the nation has participated in a UN-affiliated activity, President Ma said, expressing what a cherished opportunity this was.
The president also said that recently Kaohsiung City Mayor Chen Chu led a delegation to mainland China, while Tainan City Mayor Hsu Tain-tsair in the near future will make a visit to Xiamen. Last year, Yunlin County Magistrate Su Chih-fen led a delegation to mainland China to promote agricultural products from Yunlin County. President Ma said he believes these steps represent the right course of action. An improvement in cross-strait relations and the creation of healthy interaction is not something that is limited to the party in power. Rather, all political parties should move in this direction, he said, as everyone loves Taiwan and hopes to create an even better environment for Taiwan to exist and develop. The president said he hopes these initiatives will continue. There is no reason to abandon efforts due to fears of possible criticism or obstacles. This is the best opportunity for Taiwan to give close consideration to external relations and cross-strait ties, he said.
Lastly, the president once again thanked all of the ROC personnel in Belize for the contributions they have made. The 20 years of hard work they have carried out have been instrumental in creating a lasting bond of friendship between the two countries. The president urged everyone to continue to do their best to enable ties between the two countries to become even stronger.