By Belize Live News Staff: Prime Minister John Briceño wants Belize’s partnership with Taiwan to deliver more investment, technology and opportunities for young Belizeans.
Speaking with CNA in Bangkok, where he is attending the IMF and World Bank Annual Meetings, Briceño said Belize’s young population is a major advantage for technology cooperation.
“They learn quickly. So these are areas where we can collaborate,” he said.
He said cooperation on artificial intelligence does not need to start with the most advanced technology, but with practical solutions that meet Belize’s needs. He pointed to shrimp farming technology as one area where Taiwan could help.
Briceño also highlighted the value of people to people exchanges. Six Taiwanese exchange students are currently working in Belize’s government ministries and other fields.
As chair of the World Bank’s Small States Forum, Briceño also used his time in Bangkok to push for international lenders to consider the limited resources and administrative capacity of small countries. He said Belize nearly missed a deadline on a World Bank funded climate project for small farmers because of lengthy application procedures.
He also pointed to challenges at home, including sargassum, which threatens tourism, and the cost of providing water, electricity, education and health services to a population of about 420,000 spread across 196 small communities.
Briceño said his goal is for Belize to remain free and democratic, with a strong economy that provides for its people.
