President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of August 20 with a delegation led by St. Christopher and Nevis Prime Minister Timothy Sylvester Harris. In addition to extending a warm welcome to the visitors, the president also called for further strengthening of interaction between the two countries, and a long lasting alliance.
In remarks, President Ma stated that the ROC was the first country to establish diplomatic ties with St. Christopher and Nevis following the Caribbean nation's independence in 1983. While the two nations are located quite some distance from each other, their commitment to providing mutual support is unwavering, he said, adding that the two have had a resolute alliance over the past 32 years, with frequent, close, and friendly interaction in a wide range of areas.
The president mentioned that Prime Minister Harris first visited the ROC in 1997 in his capacity as minister of agriculture, and subsequently held important posts such as minister of education, and minister of international trade, industry and commerce. Prime Minister Harris had already visited the ROC eight times through 2008, with this visit marking his ninth trip here. This year, St. Christopher and Nevis elected its eighth National Assembly and chose Mr. Harris to become its third prime minister. President Ma extended his congratulations and best wishes to Prime Minister Harris.
Discussing bilateral relations, the president said that in August 2013, as part of his Project Congratulations and Friendship tour of various Latin American diplomatic partners, he led a delegation to St. Christopher and Nevis, where he was received with the highest level of courtesy. He and then Prime Minister Denzil L. Douglas issued a joint communique and signed an extradition treaty.
President Ma furthermore stated that former Prime Minister Douglas spoke on behalf of the ROC during the 68th General Debate of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly, while government officials from St. Christopher and Nevis issued remarks in support of Taiwan at the 38th Assembly of the International Civil Aviation Organization in September 2013, and at the 19th Session of the Conference of the Parties (COP) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in December of that year, along with the 67th session of the World Health Assembly (WHA) in May 2014 and the 69th General Debate of the UN General Assembly in September 2014. St. Christopher and Nevis also spoke on behalf of the ROC at the 20th COP to the UNFCCC in December of last year. Meanwhile, Prime Minister Harris this year instructed his nation's minister of foreign affairs to send a letter to the United Nations Environment Programme to support Taiwan's registration for and participation in the meeting, and also had his nation's minister of health speak at the 68th session of the WHA in favor of Taiwan becoming an observer at the World Health Organization. All of these gestures are testament to the strong alliance between the two countries, the president said.
President Ma explained that the ROC and St. Christopher and Nevis in 2011 began jointly promoting the St. Kitts Eco-Park Project, which covers eight hectares and will feature a tourist farm blending tourism, agricultural, and green energy elements. The park is expected to be completed by the end of next year.
The president also said that the reliance by St. Christopher and Nevis on energy imports creates a considerable burden on the populace. In response, the ROC has assisted its Caribbean ally in mapping out long-term energy policies that emphasize the development of renewable forms of energy, and the ROC and St. Christopher and Nevis in 2013 signed the Renewable Energy Policy Consultant-dispatching Project. Over the course of this project, St. Christopher and Nevis has purchased from the ROC 440 solar-powered streetlamps, 300 sets of solar-power generation equipment for household use, and 300,000 energy saving LED bulbs. The ROC in 2013 also provided its ally with US$1.61 million to assist in the construction of a 0.75 megawatt solar farm at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport in the nation's capital, which was the first solar farm in the Caribbean area. Last year, the two countries jointly invested US$1.55 million to construct two 0.5 megawatt solar farms, which were completed last month, President Ma stated.
The president remarked that the Vegetable, Fruit and Upland Crop Quality and Safety Improvement Project jointly promoted by the ROC and St. Christopher and Nevis began last year, and will assist farmers in that nation to use natural compost as a substitute for chemical fertilizers, thus enhancing the quality of crops and food in St. Christopher and Nevis.
President Ma also commented that the ROC and St. Christopher and Nevis in 2013 signed the ICT Technical Cooperation Project, under which US$1.4 million will be spent through 2017 to assist in improving the ICT environment and training ICT-related talent there. Meanwhile, the ROC over the years has held a variety of human resources training workshops, and St. Christopher and Nevis has recommended many outstanding individuals from the public and private sectors to come to Taiwan for training in many fields, including agriculture, medicine, business development, green energy, and tourism. Between 15 and 20 people from St. Christopher and Nevis participate annually in these workshops, and to date over 250 officials and specialized talent in other fields have completed training here and have returned to the Caribbean nation. A TaiwanICDF Alumni Association has also been created to maintain contact between these individuals and the ROC embassy there. The president said that the achievements of this cooperation symbolize the sincere friendship and alliance between the two countries, and that he is honored and pleased that the ROC is able to share its development experience with St. Christopher and Nevis. President Ma then reiterated his gratitude to St. Christopher and Nevis for the staunch support it has exhibited for the ROC in international venues, and expressed hope that both countries will enjoy prosperity and an enduring friendship.