TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Belize Minister of National Defence and Border Security Florencio Marin Jr. expressed interest in expanding cooperation between the militaries of Belize and Taiwan on Tuesday (June 27).
Marin told Taiwan News he hoped Belize could receive more military training from different departments within Taiwan's Ministry of National Defense (MND) as well as “explore the possibilities of procuring some military equipment,” including surveillance technology and personal equipment for Belize Defence Force (BDF) soldiers.
In 2016, Taiwan donated two Huey helicopters to the BDF Air Wing to help with troop transport, rescue missions, and combatting crime along the nation’s borders.
As a proponent of military diplomacy, Marin said Belize-Taiwan relations have deepened “tremendously” because Taiwan is “providing invaluable training to our young military men and women in our local defense force and coast guard” at its military academies and training institutions.
A major asset of Taiwan’s military is its human resources, Marin said. Having personnel studying and training in Taiwan is the best we can get, he said.
“They are best equipped to be able to give us the best training for our soldiers and our sailors.”
When asked about the national security challenges Belize is facing, the minister pointed to its shared border with Guatemala. “We have a porous border with our neighbor Guatemala, so it’s always a challenge patrolling borders, looking for illicit activities, or for illegal migration,” he said.
Belize is also combating transnational criminal networks, which have no borders and are well-resourced, Marin said. This is something it has to address both by itself at times, as well as with other countries at other times, he added.
“We need to be able to deter the use of Belize as a route for the shipment of drugs up north.”
Taiwan could greatly help Belize in this regard, Marin said. With Taiwan’s expertise, Belizean military and coast guard personnel can be more effective when they are interdicting these criminals, he said.
Meanwhile, Belize Minister of State in the Ministry of Finance, Economic Development and Investment Christopher Coye said Belize is seeking to broaden its mutually beneficial relationship with Taiwan in trade and investment.
Belize is “embarking on an effort to diversify economically,” he said. The country’s largest sectors are in tourism and agriculture but it is expanding into the business, outsourcing, and seafood sectors, he said.
There are promising opportunities in agriculture, sugar, seafood exports, and aquaculture, Coye said. If things progress smoothly, foreign investment and joint venturing would be the “natural next step,” which Taiwan could be a part of, he said.
In the post-COVID era, Coye said he hoped to see a continued upwards trajectory in development. He emphasized that environmentally conscious and stable development “is our brand” and that Belizeans are “wedded to the environment.”
Coye added that he looked forward to the symbiotic relationship between people and nature.
Marin is currently leading a six-member delegation on a five-day visit to Taiwan to bolster bilateral ties and explore new areas of cooperation. The group will visit the Ministry of National Defense, Ministry of Economic Affairs, Ocean Affairs Council, and the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology, and a number of shipbuilding companies.
