Taipei, Sept. 7 (CNA) Taiwan is helping its Central American and Caribbean allies using its best-known expertise -- information communication technology (ICT) -- with the goal of boosting their e-commerce economies, a Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) official said Tuesday.
The National ICT Center of Belize, which officially opened Aug. 27 in Belmopan, Belize, marked Taiwan's latest effort in helping its four Caribbean allies promote "information societies, " said Valentino Ji Zen Tang, deputy secretary-general of the International Cooperation and Development Fund (ICDF).
The ICDF is the principal body overseeing Taiwan's cooperative development programs abroad.
The ICT technical cooperation project was launched in 2005 as part of a three-phase initiative to reduce the "digital divide, " develop systems of e-government and develop e-commerce economy, Tang said.
The construction began in May 2009 following a groundbreaking ceremony attended by both President Ma Ying-jeou and Belizean Prime Minister Dean Barrow.
In return, Tang said, the projects in Central America and the Caribbean will bring business opportunities for Taiwan's hardware and software industries.
Design concepts for the centers were eco-friendly, he said, adding that the ICT center in Saint Kitts and Nevis operates by solar energy.
In Central America, Taiwan has been helping Guatemala develop an e-commerce website that integrates tourism information, online booking and reservations, and an online payment mechanism.
"The project aims to help Guatemala, which arguably attracts the most tourists with the richest tourism resources in Central America, to boost its local economy as its tourism industry will be able to receive direct payments rather than remittances from brokers in North America," Tang said.
Taiwan is also planning to duplicate its success in the community empowerment program and One Town One Product (OTOP) program on foreign soil to help less developed areas in its Central American allies stimulate their economies, Tang said.
Taiwan, which has previously been accused of "checkbook diplomacy, " is attempting a more pragmatic approach, according to the MOFA. The country's projects in Central America and the Caribbean serve as an example of the new policy, the ministry said. (By Chris Wang) enditem/bc