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PM Accuses Opposition of Duplicitous Diplomacy on China
posted (August 16, 2019)
The House of Representatives met today in Belmopan and talk of mainland China dominated the exchanges across the floor.

That's partly because a 50 million US dollar loan from Taiwan was tabled in the house today - and also because the PUP's Kareem Musa recently made a one week trip to mainland China.

As you probably know, communist China - which is a global superpower - claims its neighbor Taiwan - a small, but prosperous island democracy. So, any flirtation with China creates a major alarm in Taiwan - since countries must choose either one or the other - Belize cannot be allied to both.

And, in the past two years, China has been steadily and systematically sniping off Taiwan's allies. So, this morning, the Prime Minister opened the sitting with a Minister's statement - speaking about the enduring importance of Belize's friendship with Taiwan - and the peril that he claims the PUP is creating with by flirting with mainland China. He said that when Kareem Musa went to China, he violated an understanding both major political parties have that they will stick with Taiwan:...

Rt. Hon. Dean Barrow, Prime Minister
"I don't know how it is that what as I said has been fertilized by by both parties over these many long years can all of a sudden can be put in prejudice by members of the People's United Party and I note that there has been no official statement from the party. The member for Caribbean Shores has had a lot to say. I don't know that I have heard from the 2 city councillors, but he clearly was the leader of the delegation. He's had a lot to say, but his leadership has not in fact indicated that this was a sanctioned mission and I for one hope that it is not, but I would like to hear officially from them if there is going to be a departure from what as I said we thought was a national understanding. We need to know. Somebody who is a neophyte in diplomacy, a novice in matters of state, has had the hubris to decide, perhaps, entirely without the concurrence or leave of his party that he can be some sort of master of state-craft. This simply cannot be. Why then do we act in a way that suggest to the world that we are contemplating the betrayal of Taiwan, that we would sell out this bedrock relationship for a mess of political pottage. They must be aware of the tremendous increase in tension between the United States and China and I don't think it is any secret. I am sure what the Americans have come to tell me, they have also gone to tell the leader of the opposition and that is this, that they are not going to look kindly, after what happened with Panama and the Dominican Republic, on China poaching any small country that is located in what the Americans, what it pleases them to call their backyard."

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