INTERVIEW/Belize PM Briceño seeks deeper cooperation with Taiwan, invites investment

By Zachary Lee, CNA staff reporter

Belize Prime Minister John Briceño has called for deeper cooperation with Taiwan through investment, technology exchanges, and people-to-people ties, saying that he hopes those links will contribute to his country's development.

In an exclusive interview with CNA in Bangkok on Wednesday, Briceño spoke warmly of Belize's close ties with Taiwan and highlighted areas such as shrimp farming technology and practical technology exchanges for potential cooperation.

Belize seeks Taiwanese investment and technology

Briceño, 66, said Belize's young population was an advantage for technology cooperation.

"We have a young population, and they go to junior college on to university, and they learn quickly. So these are areas where we can collaborate," he emphasized.

In the field of AI development, cooperation with Taiwan does not necessarily have to begin with the most advanced technologies, but instead could focus on practical solutions that meet Belize's needs, Briceño said.

"For example, shrimp farming technology is one area where Taiwan could contribute," he said.

He also emphasized the value of people-to-people exchanges, saying that Taiwanese students working in Belize could help strengthen ties between the two countries.

Currently, there are six Taiwanese exchange students working in government ministries and other fields in Belize.

For Belize, attracting business investment and building technological capacity are part of a broader effort to expand economic opportunities and improve living standards, according to its leader.

Belize calls for greater consideration of small states

Briceño is attending the 2026 Annual Meetings of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank Group in Bangkok as Belize's finance minister and chair of the World Bank's Small States Forum.

In his interview with CNA, he said international financial institutions need to take into account the limited administrative capacity and resources of small countries.

He cited as an example the challenge his country faced in participating in a World Bank-funded project to help small farmers strengthen their resilience to climate change.

Briceño said that by the time Belize had completed the lengthy application procedure, it was close to the deadline, and he had to ask the World Bank to extend the timeframe.

Other challenges faced by small countries

Climate change is one of the issues affecting small nations, Briceño said. Currently, Caribbean island nations and other coastal countries in the region are dealing with a massive influx of brown sargassum seaweed, which threatens tourism -- a major economic lifeline, Briceño said, calling for regional solutions.

In Belize, another significant challenge is providing basic infrastructure and services to its widely dispersed population of about 420,000, given its limited tax base, the prime minister said.

"We have to constantly see how we can find that balance in providing basic services, access to water, access to electricity, and access to education and health," he said, explaining that Belize has 196 small communities.

The government must balance residents' needs against its limited resources while maintaining fiscal sustainability, Briceño said.

Belize reaffirms support for Taiwan

As a long-standing partner of Taiwan, Belize is committed to its relations with Taiwan, Briceño reaffirmed, saying China's recent sanctions against Belize's Minister of Foreign Affairs and Foreign Trade Francis Fonseca will not change that position.

Belize is an independent country with the right to decide which countries it maintains relations with, Briceño said, condemning China's sanctions as unreasonable, unnecessary, wrong and illegal.

That move by China will only serve to strengthen Belize's resolve to support Taiwan, he said.

"We strongly believe in the right to self-determination," he said, arguing that Taiwan's strengths in the economy, technology, artificial intelligence, health care, education and climate research warrant recognition by the United Nations and other international organizations.

Briceño, who began his second term as prime minister in 2025, said he wants Belize to remain a free and democratic country with a vibrant economy capable of providing for its people.

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