President Chen Shui-bian (
Although Taiwan has had diplomatic ties with the nation since 1983, when it achieved independence, no Taiwanese president has ever visited it.
When Chen stepped out of his chartered plane on Tuesday in the country's capital, Basseterre, on its main island, St. Kitts, he was greeted with a military salute.
The country, which has per capita GDP of US$8,800, has about 45,000 residents, who rely mainly on tourism and sugar farming for income.
President Denzil Douglas said that Chen's arrival marked a milestone for bilateral relations.
"Your visit provides another opportunity for our countries to strengthen our relations by renewing our commitment to collaborate with each other in the interests of sustainability and the promotion of both governments, social justice, [and] economic advancement," Douglas said.
Chen said that both countries face similar environmental challenges, as they rely heavily on their surrounding oceans, making resource preservation important.
In addition, in the era of globalization, challenges regarding regional integration and international competition were inevitable, he said.
"We would like to share with you Taiwan's experience in economic transformation," Chen said.
On Tuesday, Minister of Economic Affairs Ho Mei-yueh (
Chen was also scheduled to attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony for a newly completed sports center, called St. Paul's Sporting Complex. The center's construction was partly financed by Taiwan.
In addition, both sides will sign a joint communique to ensure bilateral cooperation.
The Taipei Department of Health yesterday said it has launched a probe into a restaurant at Far Eastern Sogo Xinyi A13 Department Store after a customer died of suspected food poisoning. A preliminary investigation on Sunday found missing employee health status reports and unsanitary kitchen utensils at Polam Kopitiam (寶林茶室) in the department store’s basement food court, the department said. No direct relationship between the food poisoning death and the restaurant was established, as no food from the day of the incident was available for testing and no other customers had reported health complaints, it said, adding that the investigation is ongoing. Later
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