The government of Belize and Taiwan's largest oil refiner this week sealed a deal to search for oil in the Caribbean Sea.

Spokesman for the state-owned Chinese Petroleum Corporation (CPC), Chu Shao-hua said the company would search 4,800 square kilometres of the ocean.

China's Ambassador to Belize, Joseph Shih, is quoted in the
Taiwan News as saying that CPC Corp will sign the oil exploration agreement with Belize within the coming week, "upgrading the bilateral co-operation to a new level".

"Relations between Taiwan and Belize are moving from more traditional agricultural and economic relations to multi-dimensional co-operation," he said.

Belize established diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1989 after cutting ties with China. It is only one of five countries in the 15-member Caribbean Community (Caricom) who have chosen ties with Taipei over China. The others are Haiti, St Vincent and the Grenadines, St Kitts and Nevis and St Lucia.
The other 10 have insisted they will adhere to the 'One China' policy enunciated by Beijing, which sees Taiwan as a renegade state.

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