Here is a snippet of the conference.

Francis Fonseca, Minister of Foreign Affairs
"Taiwan has proven over those 35 years to be a very valuable partner and very consistent partner and ally and friend of Belize's development. So we're very happy to welcome Minister Lin and his delegation to Belize to continue to discuss new and creative and innovative ways for us to expand that partnership and deepen that friendship for the benefit of our two peoples, for the people of Belize and also for the people of Taiwan."

"Belize, of course, continues to be very clear in our position that Taiwan must be a nation that is respected. Taiwan, like Belize, is a country committed to democracy, committed to the rule of law, and so Belize continues to be a strong ally and supporter of Taiwan's right to self-determination."

Dr Chia-Lung Lin, Foreign Minister, Taiwan
"I'm glad to announce that after two years of efforts, significant progress has been made on the issue of importing shrimps from the Belize to Taiwan. We are now entering the on-site inspection phase. Once this is successfully completed and any outstanding issues or addresses in trivial talks, we'll go ahead. And our government looks forward to opening Taiwan's market to position seafood very soon. In particular, we see your famous Marine Sharp. It's making a high stream from Belize very popular in Taiwan. I can guarantee for that."

"And during this meeting, I also announced that the government of Taiwan in response to Prime Minister Briceno's request his visit to Taiwan in May has agreed to provide financial support for the reconstruction of Belcan Bridge in Belize City."

But while the motion to observe the three and half decades of diplomatic relations was passed in the House of Representatives, the Leader of the Opposition abstained from that vote, and told us that he is suspicious of Taiwan's motives. He alleged that Taiwan may be interfering in local politics.

And on Friday, China urged Guatemala to sever its ties with Taiwan. The media asked Dr Lin for his response to these recent events.

Dr Chia-Lung Lin, Foreign Minister, Taiwan
"But this is democracy, so with democracy comes different opinions, that's a natural phenomenon. But we are competent and bipartisan support from your political elites, and most importantly, the support from the grassroots people."

"So generally speaking, the position of people is quite satisfied with the partnership between our two countries. So regardless of the election condition or outcomes, we are competent, because we have experienced different party leadership during the past 35 years."

"So yeah, we congratulate the position of people on your achievement in terms of democracy, and rule of law and respect for human rights."

Reporter
"We see most recently our leader of the opposition visited the Chinese embassy in Jamaica, and along with the decision that Guatemala now has to make, do you fear that you're losing footing within the region as a relates to these countries on the side of the world?"

Dr Chia-Lung Lin, Foreign Minister, Taiwan
"And don't worry about that. Just take it as a example. You know, after Honduras established its diplomatic relations with the People's Republic of China, the offer has declined."

"But we are helping to develop your strength in the industry. So I think any exchange between parties or societies is not an open society. We will not worry about that. We will try our best to strengthen our relationship with our allies."