Taiwan’s naval goodwill fleet last week concluded port calls in Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and is now headed toward Belize, Taiwanese embassies in the region said.
The fleet, officially designated as the 2026 Midshipmen and Cruising Training Squadron (MCTS), first arrived in Saint Lucia on April 12 for a three-day visit, Taiwan’s embassy in the country wrote on Facebook.
Two of the three vessels in the fleet — fast combat support ship the ROCS Panshih (磐石, AOE-532) and Kang Ding-class guided-missile frigate the ROCS Di Hua (迪化, PFG-1206) — were on Monday last week opened to the public, drawing about 2,000 visitors, the embassy said.
Photo: Screen grab from the Facebook page of the Taiwanese embassy in Saint Lucia
The third vessel, Cheng Kung-class guided-missile frigate the ROCS Yueh Fei (岳飛, PFG-1106), was not opened to the public.
Saint Lucian Minister of External Affairs, International Trade, Civil Aviation and Diaspora Affairs Alva Baptiste, along with other Saint Lucian officials, joined more than 800 officers and crew members of the fleet at a welcoming ceremony on Monday last week.
The importance of the visit “cannot be overstated, as it underscores our shared commitment to global stability and the promotion of peace in an increasingly complex geopolitical landscape,” Baptiste said in an address.
The MCTS concluded its visit on Tuesday last week, before heading to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, where it arrived the same day for a three-day visit.
The fleet was welcomed by Vincentian Deputy Prime Minister St Clair Leacock.
The fleet is set to visit Belize, where a formal welcoming ceremony is to be held on Wednesday, the embassy in Belize said.
The port call will mark the first visit by the MCTS to Belize in 13 years, it said.
The fleet departed Taiwan in late February for its annual training voyage, which typically includes visits to diplomatic allies in the Caribbean and Latin America.
For security reasons, Taiwan’s military does not publicize the fleet’s full itinerary.
Before visiting Saint Lucia, and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, the fleet made a port call in Saint Kitts and Nevis.
The three countries and Haiti are the four Caribbean states that formally recognize the Republic of China. Belize is one of two Central American countries that formally recognize Taiwan, the other being Guatemala.
The fleet’s annual mission is to promote diplomacy, demonstrate its military capabilities and engage with overseas Taiwanese communities, the military said.
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