The Taiwanese Foreign Minister James Huang is on a high level, down low visit to Belize. We say down low, because there's more information about his visit in international news outlets than there is from the Government of Belize.
Yesterday he was conferred with the Order of Distinction by the Prime Minister, and made a donation of medical supplies to the Western Regional Hospital. But his real business here is the 13th Mixed Commission Meeting of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of Central America and Taiwan.
The meeting was held on San Pedro and it is of some importance to the Taiwanese because the island nation recently endured a major diplomatic snub when its ally Costa Rica voted against it at a WHO meeting, while Nicaragua and Panama abstained from that vote.
And that continues. This evening, highly placed government sources inform us that today's meeting had a rocky ending. Our information says that the Costa Rica, Panama, Nicaragua and Guatemala fought bitterly against making the usual declaration of support for Taiwan's sovereignty in the closing joint communiqué.
Because of those objections, what was supposed to have finished at noon didn't finish until after 5:00, with Belizean officials scrambling to force a compromise which said that the Central American nations support Taiwan's aspiration to be recognized in international organizations.
Experts say it's a sign of Red China gaining dominance in the region, but of course, if Taiwan loses allies in this region it only enhances Belize's standing and the possible benefits that would derive as the Foreign Minister reportedly came here to negotiate a loan and grant package worth $50 million. But as we understand it, that has been proposed, but not finalized.
