The relationship between Taiwan and Saint Kitts and Nevis remains strong and would continue to grow under Taiwan’s new administration, Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew said yesterday.
Speaking to reporters shortly after his arrival in Taipei, Drew said one of the main purposes of his visit was to meet with President William Lai (賴清德), who was sworn in last month, and signal to him that the diplomatic relations between their two countries remain strong.
“I want to really build on that relationship with the new president, so we can make it an even stronger relationship,” said Drew, who is leading a delegation of officials on his second visit to Taiwan as prime minister.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
The Embassy of Saint Kitts and Nevis in Taipei said Drew is scheduled to meet with Lai on Monday and attend a national banquet hosted by the president, during the five-day visit.
Drew is also scheduled to visit infrastructure and cultural facilities in Kaohsiung.
On whether Beijing is pressuring his country to switch diplomatic recognition from Taiwan to China, Drew said its relationship with Taiwan “is strong and it does not depend on any other factor, so we are not worried about anything else.”
He said Saint Kitts and Nevis advocates for Taiwan’s representation in international organizations, because it believes that Taiwan has much to contribute.
The exclusion of Taiwan would mean “losing a partner that can contribute significantly in a positive way,” he said, adding that Taiwan has effectively tackled sourcing energy and water and the transformation of information technology, which are global issues.
Meanwhile, the threat of climate change and issues relating to acute weather transformations are areas in which Taiwan and Saint Kitts and Nevis can deepen their bilateral cooperation, he said.
Taiwan could help Saint Kitts and Nevis develop the abundant geothermal energy on the island of Nevis and share its experience in developing other renewable energy sources, such as wind and solar, under the Sustainable Island State initiative to battle climate change, Drew said.
Due to rising sea levels, seawater has intruded into the wells of the Caribbean country, he said, adding that as a result, there is a desperate need for desalination, which presents opportunities for Taiwanese businesses, not just in Saint Kitts and Nevis, but in other Caribbean countries.
Investments like that would go a “very long way” and enlarge Taiwan’s footprint in a critical region, he added.
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