PM says Taiwan turning from UN won’t affect Belize
The Oppenheimer Report “Multiple Caution Flags” focused on the investor confidence in Belize. One of the caution points referred to the fact that Taiwan is no longer seeking full membership into the United Nations. Taiwan has made over fifty million U.S. dollars in commitments to Belize. And the only gesture Belize has consistently made to Taiwan is to support Taiwan’s inclusion at the U.N. Since Taiwan has abandoned that bid, the economic pundits project that there would be an eventual dip in Taiwan aid programs. The financial forecast is foreboding while the country scrounges to find multimillion dollar payments for the super bond. But the Prime Minister says that he believes the change in Taiwan’s focus will not affect the economic relationship with the Jewel.
Prime Minister Dean Barrow
“I don’t think that has anything to do with the economic cooperation agreement between Belize and Taiwan. In fact we agreed last year on this four year program, what was a hundred million dollars and we front ended the first disbursement because of the super bond payment that we needed to make. I expect next year we will get what has been agreed. I will certainly try to ask for more since we have to pay additionally on the super bond because of the interest. But there is no indication at all that Belize is considered a less valuable ally where Taiwan is concerned. You’re right in terms of the relationship between Taiwan and mainland China having improved the objectives of the new president of Taiwan seemed to have shifted. And in a sense that merely means that Taiwan’s allies, including Belize, are not now obliged to take a position which, in the context of the U.N., is isolationist. And so that’s a good thing. But ultimately, for us it doesn’t matter. We are friends of Taiwan. We are allies of Taiwan and we will do whatever is asked of us as long as it is consistent with our own national interests.”
At today’s house meeting, cabinet approved the acquisition of three loans from the Inter American Development bank for a total of twenty-two point five million U.S. dollars or forty five million Belize dollars.
