Belize Celebrates Taiwan Day and 35 Years of Friendship  

On the other side of the globe, long-time allies of Belize celebrate National Taiwan Day on October tenth. Here in Belize, people are joining in on the celebration at the Taiwan Expo 2024. This expo celebrates thirty-five years of friendship between the two countries and allows Taiwanese businesses to enter the Belizean market. News Five’s Britney Gordon was there to meet some of the participants. Here’s the story.

 

Britney Gordon, Reporting

October tenth, or Double Ten Day marks the founding of the Republic of China, Taiwan after they overthrew the Qing Dynasty and relocated to the small island off the coast of China.  It is a day of pride for all Taiwanese citizens, and as Belize observes thirty-five years and diplomatic friendship with Taiwan, the celebration continues at the Taiwan Day Expo 2024, Goldie Lee, a member of the Taiwan External Trade Development Council provides more details.

 

Goldie Lee, Taiwan External Trade Development Council

“Our main mission is to help, to assist Taiwanese enterprises to expand their international trade. And for this year because it is the thirty-fifth anniversary for the diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Belize. So we are so happy and so glad for this Expo. We have twenty-one Taiwanese businesses here, and eight of them participating in person. The others participate by technicals and samples.”

 

Belizeans stopping by the expo were met with a range of products, from hardware to food and beverages and even the medical industry. Any Taiwanese business seeking to find a footing in the Belizean market was invited to participate. Sales representative for Kwang Yang Motor Company, Sawai Uhdong, landed in Belize on Wednesday. He is excited to showcase the scooters and ATVs that he believes Belizeans will gravitate to.

 

Sawai Uhdong, Sales Representative, KYMCO

“We actually doing overseas marketing. It’s over, I believe, thirty years. Now we’re seeking more opportunities all over the Central America and South America Cities and we believe Belize have, we have some products we believe it’s fit in the Belize cities.”

KYMCO is an environmentally conscious company that Lee believes will be an advantage when entering the Belizean market.

 

Goldie Lee

“We found that the people here, they are willing to promote I mean, they preserve their environment. And the product from KYMCO, this company, they also emphasize on protect the environment, therefore their products is really meet the need of this country.”

 

While many of the representatives flew in from Taiwan to participate, a few have already established business in Belize. Such as Yishen Chen from the Nine Six Shopping Center that has been operating in Belize City for over twenty years. Chen explains the joy she feels from being welcomed into Belizean culture.

 

Yishan Chen, Nine Six Shopping Center

“I personally really Belize, because compared to other places, like you said, Belize is a country really, people are very friendly and their life is very simple, we don’t have to be having a complicated or like a struggle life because, here the people is willing to help foreigners.”

 

On display were a variety of Taiwanese Pastries and snacks. Chen explains which ones are the store’s best sellers among Belizeans.

 

Yishan Chen

“But they also like this kind of mooncake. Not mooncake. We call it suncake, but it’s inside with some sweet fillings. I don’t know how to call that. It’s the sugar from, the sweetness from the wheat. Yeah, the sweetness from the wheat. But they like this. And also our Taiwanese famous mooncake. Pastries, which is this pineapple cake.”

 

The Taiwan International Cooperation and Development Fund, ICDF has been a long-time source of funding and educational opportunities for Belizeans.

 

Glendy Chiqin, District Health Educator

“We have people that would come that has never checked themselves. So it’s very important for us to be out there at every opportunity because like that we have people that would come and would find out whether they have high blood pressure, high glucose and start some kind of checking themselves. Yes, it’s not going to happen immediately, but they will have an idea of, oh hey, I need to do something about my health because my glucose is high or my blood pressure tested high today.”

 

The celebrations will continue into the evening with a ceremony highlighting the bond between Belize and Taiwan. Britney Gordon for News Five.