Taiwan’s ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has congratulated the opposition New Democratic Party (NDP) for winning the election in the Caribbean country, a formal diplomatic ally of Taiwan.
The NDP has previously proposed severing relations with Taiwan, which Saint Vincent has held since 1981, in favor of greater proximity with China.
However, its election manifesto made no mention of ending ties with Taipei.
Photo: Ann Wang, Reuters
Only 12 countries have official diplomatic relations with Taiwan, four of which are in the Caribbean.
Outgoing Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves and his Unity Labour Party have long opposed ending relations with Taiwan.
In Taipei, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that Ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Fiona Fan (范惠君) had “at the first moment” expressed Taiwan’s congratulations to Godwin, who is to become prime minister, and his party.
“Taiwan and Saint Vincent share universal values such as democracy, freedom and human rights,” the ministry said.
Over the past 44 years of diplomatic relations, cooperation has yielded “remarkable” results across agriculture, food security, infrastructure, healthcare and other areas, earning widespread recognition from all sectors in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, it said.
Elections in diplomatic allies are often nervous moments for Taiwan given the chance a new government could switch allegiances to China.
In 2023, a year after taking office, Honduran President Xiomara Castro severed relations with Taiwan in favor of China.
The most recent country to shift from Taiwan to China was the Pacific islands nation of Nauru last year, shortly after President William Lai’s (賴清德) win at the polls.
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