President Tsai receives military honors in Belize
After a flight of seven and a half hours, President Tsai Ing-wen and her delegation arrived at Philip S.W. Goldson International Airport in Belize on the afternoon of Thursday, August 16 local time (early morning on August 17 Taipei time).
Upon arrival, ROC Ambassador to Belize Charles K.Y. Liu (劉克裕) and Belize Head of Protocol and Consular Affairs Tasha Cain boarded the plane to welcome President Tsai, and Belize Governor-General Colville Young then welcomed her at the bottom of the airstair. After shaking hands and exchanging greetings, they ascended a dais to receive military honors.
During the both countries' national anthems were played, the Belize armed forces fired a 21-gun salute and military jets performed a flyover. Governor-General Young then accompanied President Tsai to review the Belize military honor guard, then the two walked to the end of the red carpet to wave greetings to a group of Taiwanese expatriates waiting to welcome President Tsai. After a short meeting in a VIP room with Governor-General Young, President Tsai was driven to her hotel.
After a brief rest President Tsai visited the ROC Embassy in Belize, where Ambassador Liu briefed her on embassy operations. The president and her delegation also posed for photos in front of the "Taiwan Street" and "#1 Taiwan St." street signs outside the embassy compound.
The Belize City Council renamed the street where the Taiwan Embassy is located "Taiwan Street" this year, and the embassy address was changed to "#1 Taiwan St., Belize City," in honor of Taiwan-Belize friendship. The name change also serves to express the Belize City government's sincere gratitude for the assistance that Taiwan has provided over the years.