A representative from Belize reassured the country’s steady friendship with Taiwan, during a meeting with President Tsai Ing-wen on Dec. 1, as fellow Central American nation Honduras could switch its diplomatic ties to Beijing. Belize and Honduras are among the 15 countries maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan despite the communist regime in China claiming the self-ruled island as its own territory—to be taken by force if necessary—and putting longtime pressure on foreign governments to adopt its stance. Valerie Woods, speaker of Belize’s House of Representatives, told Tsai at the president’s office in Taipei that the friendship between her country and Taiwan is stable. She noted they shared the same values of freedom, peace, democracy, human rights, and the rule of law. “We also know the challenges that come with defending sovereignty and the right to independence as we too have fought a large neighbor,” Woods said, in likely reference to …