President Tsai welcomes Prime Minister Terrance Drew of St. Christopher and Nevis with full military honors
President Tsai Ing-wen welcomed Prime Minister Terrance Drew of the Federation of St. Christopher and Nevis on the morning of November 8 with full military honors. In remarks, President Tsai stated that since establishing diplomatic relations 39 years ago, Taiwan and St. Christopher and Nevis have maintained consistent mutual support, and that we continue to achieve excellent results through our wide-ranging bilateral collaboration. The president expressed hope that, during this visit, our two countries can address issues of mutual concern and engage in an in-depth exchange of opinions to further expand our cooperation.
The welcome ceremony was held at 10:30 am at the main plaza and lobby of the National Theater and Concert Hall of the National Performing Arts Center. President Tsai and Prime Minister Drew each delivered remarks after a 19-gun salute and the playing of the two countries' national anthems.
A translation of President Tsai's remarks follows:
It is a great pleasure to welcome Prime Minister Drew today with military honors as he leads a delegation on a state visit to Taiwan. On behalf of the people and government of the Republic of China (Taiwan), I extend my sincerest welcome to all of our distinguished guests.
St. Christopher and Nevis is an important ally of Taiwan in the Caribbean. This is Prime Minister Drew's first visit to a diplomatic ally since he took office three months ago, reflecting his high regard for the bond between our two nations.
Since establishing diplomatic relations 39 years ago, our countries have supported each other through the good times and the bad. And we continue to strengthen collaboration across the board, achieving fruitful results. I look forward to our countries addressing issues of mutual concern and engaging in an in-depth exchange of opinions during this visit to further expand our cooperation. In particular, we believe that Taiwan has highly valuable experiences to share in the fields of medicine and health insurance, both of which Prime Minister Drew has expressed an interest in.
In closing, I once again welcome Prime Minister Drew and all of our distinguished guests and wish you great success on this visit. May our nations continue to strengthen our cooperation and deepen our friendship.
Prime Minister Drew then delivered remarks, a transcript of which follows:
Good morning to you, Madam President, and to the government. I also want to acknowledge my own delegation and my ambassador who is here with me as well, as well as my foreign minister and also the premier of Nevis, who is also the leader of the opposition. As was mentioned, this is my first state visit after my election on August 5, 2022, which is a demonstration of our country's high regard with respect to the Republic of China (Taiwan). It is an honor for me to address you, firstly in my capacity as the head of government of the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis, after the historic victory of the St. Kitts and Nevis Labour Party at the general elections held on 5th August 2022.
My delegation and I are profoundly grateful to you and the government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) not only for your warm hospitality, but also the excellent arrangements put in place for the duration of this momentous state visit.
This state visit to the Republic of China (Taiwan) is significant in more ways than one. It strengthens the solid platform built for well over three decades, which allows us to implement projects under the broad rubric of functional cooperation. It also places us at the threshold of a new era of enhanced partnership where we consider creative solutions to the challenges which threaten to prevent us from achieving our development objectives.
We cannot deny the rich legacy of technical and financial assistance, capacity building, and international advocacy, which shaped the contours of our bilateral relationship since we attained our independence in 1983.
Indeed, Madam President, many of our nationals have benefited from scholarships to pursue tertiary education here in Taiwan. Many have returned home and continue to contribute to national development.
While other countries are endowed with rich mineral resources, our people are our resource base. It is therefore prudent for us to continually strive to build our human resource capacity. We are eternally grateful to the government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for their invaluable assistance in achieving this objective.
We are equally grateful for the assistance we receive in agriculture, healthcare, public infrastructure, ICT (information and communications technology), and environmental conservation, just to name a few.
As true friends, the government of St. Kitts and Nevis is always ready to use its influence in international fora to advocate for values and principles which we share with the Republic of China (Taiwan).
We therefore have no difficulty in promoting our shared values of democracy, good governance, human rights, and the rule of law. We believe firmly that the Republic of China (Taiwan) has a role to play in sustaining a vibrant global economy through manufacturing and export of quality goods and services. Taiwan can also contribute to the global effort to find solutions to pandemics, climate change adaptation and mitigation endeavors, disaster preparedness, [and] food and livelihood security. And at the global level, Taiwan has assisted us in achieving sustainable development goals in all its dimensions.
Goal 17 of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals calls for the building of partnerships to achieve sustainable development. Your track record is impressive. You have proven yourself to be a true friend, especially in times of need.
The Government of St. Kitts and Nevis remains committed to sustaining and strengthening the bonds of friendship between our two countries.
We are anxious to meet with stakeholders from government and civil society as we explore possible areas of cooperation aimed at bringing our people together and promoting their advancement.
In September 2023, we will celebrate our 40th anniversary of independence. This coincides with 40 years of diplomatic relationship between our two countries. This is a milestone worthy of celebration. I am certain we will allocate time to initiate discussions and tangible ways to demonstrate our strong partnership during our period of celebration.
Also in attendance at the welcome ceremony were St. Christopher and Nevis Ambassador Donya Francis and members of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan.