The foreign minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis said yesterday that he is leading a delegation to Taiwan to learn about issues relating to renewable energy, in a bid to help the Caribbean nation achieve its “sustainable island state” policy goal.
Saint Kitts and Nevis is shifting from an agricultural society to a more diversified economy that includes manufacturing, tourism, hospitality, and offshore education, Denzil L. Douglas told a press event in Taipei.
So far, more than 90 percent of energy in Saint Kitts and Nevis comes from fossil fuels, which are not sustainable, he said.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
As a result, Saint Kitts and Nevis needs to turn to its friend, Taiwan, to learn about the technology and structures that its government can put in place to quickly boost the share of renewables, he added.
The types of “green” energy sources that Saint Kitts and Nevis is looking to develop include solar and geothermal, with the latter being an ideal option for the island of Nevis, Douglas said.
To this aim, the delegation visited Taiwan’s state-run utility, Taiwan Power Co, yesterday morning to observe and compare the two countries’ operating models and figure out how they can best collaborate, he said.
The delegation includes Kaye Bass, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs; Adina Richards, permanent secretary in the Ministry of Economic Development; and Sean Lawrence, director in the Ministry of International Trade.
When asked about Chinese Foreign Minister Wang Yi’s (王毅) recent claim that UN Resolution 2758 implies Taiwan is a province of China, Douglas said “countries like China or any other country would unnecessarily get involved and engaged in a global conflict because of its relationship with Taiwan.”
“We want to say that peace should win within the Taiwan Strait,” he said.
Though China has emerged as a major power, Saint Kitts and Nevis believes that it should understand its own responsibilities and that through rational discussions, the matter will eventually be resolved, Douglas said.
Saint Kitts and Nevis will continue to support Taiwan’s participation at international forums such as the World Health Assembly and the International Civil Aviation Organization in the face of China exerting its influence to ostracize Taiwan, he added.
“We believe that Taiwan has a serious contribution to make to the advancement of mankind ... And so we rationalize in a very, very clear way where we believe Taiwan can make contributions to the progress on global affairs,” he said.
Nipah virus infection is to be officially listed as a category 5 notifiable infectious disease in Taiwan in March, while clinical treatment guidelines are being formulated, the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) said yesterday. With Nipah infections being reported in other countries and considering its relatively high fatality rate, the centers on Jan. 16 announced that it would be listed as a notifiable infectious disease to bolster the nation’s systematic early warning system and increase public awareness, the CDC said. Bangladesh reported four fatal cases last year in separate districts, with three linked to raw date palm sap consumption, CDC Epidemic Intelligence
The manufacture of the remaining 28 M1A2T Abrams tanks Taiwan purchased from the US has recently been completed, and they are expected to be delivered within the next one to two months, a source said yesterday. The Ministry of National Defense is arranging cargo ships to transport the tanks to Taiwan as soon as possible, said the source, who is familiar with the matter. The estimated arrival time ranges from late this month to early next month, the source said. The 28 Abrams tanks make up the third and final batch of a total of 108 tanks, valued at about NT$40.5 billion
Two Taiwanese prosecutors were questioned by Chinese security personnel at their hotel during a trip to China’s Henan Province this month, the Mainland Affairs Council (MAC) said yesterday. The officers had personal information on the prosecutors, including “when they were assigned to their posts, their work locations and job titles,” MAC Deputy Minister and spokesman Liang Wen-chieh (梁文傑) said. On top of asking about their agencies and positions, the officers also questioned the prosecutors about the Cross-Strait Joint Crime-Fighting and Judicial Mutual Assistance Agreement, a pact that serves as the framework for Taiwan-China cooperation on combating crime and providing judicial assistance, Liang
A group from the Taiwanese Designers in Australia association yesterday represented Taiwan at the Midsumma Pride March in Melbourne. The march, held in the St. Kilda suburb, is the city’s largest LGBTQIA+ parade and the flagship event of the annual Midsumma Festival. It attracted more than 45,000 spectators who supported the 400 groups and 10,000 marchers that participated this year, the association said. Taiwanese Designers said they organized a team to march for Taiwan this year, joining politicians, government agencies, professionals and community organizations in showing support for LGBTQIA+ people and diverse communities. As the first country in Asia to legalize same-sex
RSS