History
Belize gained independence in 1981. William Quinto, a Belizean businessman of Ethnic Chinese in Belize, Chinese descent and a supporter of Belize's People's United Party, began lobbying then-Prime Minister of Belize, Prime Minister George Cadle Price, George Price via his mutual acquaintance Said Musa for Belize to establish relations with Taiwan in the 1980s. Then-Taiwanese ambassador to Guatemala Loh I-cheng, Gene Loh came to Belize in May 1984 and met with Quinto and Price to discuss the possibility of establishing relations, but Guatemalan leader Rodolfo Lobos Zamora objected, and after Manuel Esquivel of the Belizean opposition United Democratic Party (Belize), United Democratic Party took power in the 1984 Belizean general election, election late that year, the plans were put aside. In the coming years, Quinto would put up the funds for Musa (by then Minister of Education), Minister of Foreign Affairs Harry Courtney (Belizean politician), Harry Courtney, and Vice Minister Robert Leslie (Belizean politician), Robert Leslie to go to Japan and Hong Kong in order to meet with Loh again. It would not be until after the 1989 Belizean general election, 1989 election when the PUP regained power that Belize and Taiwan established relations. Belize hoped to attract foreign capital and explore new market opportunities. At that point, Belize only had three overseas missions, in London, Washington DC, and at the United Nations in New York City; Musa, who by then had become Minister of Foreign Affairs, told Quinto that if he did not go to Taipei to fill the position of ambassador, there would be no one else to take the job, and thus he went. Belize also established diplomatic relations with the PRC between 1987 and 1989, but the PRC rescinded its diplomatic relations when it began its One China Policy. Quinto remained Belize's ambassador to Taiwan until 2008, when he retired. His subordinate, ''chargé d'affaires'' Efrain R. Novelo, was promoted to full ambassadorial rank to replace him. Since opening diplomatic relations with Taiwan, Belize has received a large amount of economic aid and development assistance projects from Taiwan's International Cooperation and Development Fund. Taiwan owns 10% of Belize's external debt and has signed a 60-million-dollar cooperation agreement. In 2021, Taiwan and Belize signed a mutual assistance treaty that would serve as a framework to legal cooperation between the two countries.Ambassadors
From Belize to the Republic of China: * William Quinto (until 2008) * Diane Haylock (October 2016 to present) From the Republic of China to Belize:References
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