BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, September 07, 2022 (SKNIS) – The Embassy of the Republic of China (Taiwan) convened a special meeting today September 7 at the site of the Taiwan Technical Mission at Needsmust to update the members of the Federal Cabinet, led by Prime Minister the Honourable Dr. Terrance Drew, on the various programmes and projects being undertaken by the Taiwan Technical Mission here in St. Kitts and Nevis.
The members of the Cabinet were guests of His Excellency Michael C. H. Lin, Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to the Federation of St. Kitts and Nevis.
Giving a brief introduction, His Excellency Michael Lin indicated that the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) invests over two million dollars ($2 million) annually in various projects undertaken by the technical mission in St. Kitts and Nevis.
These projects include the Enhancing Agricultural Adaptive Capacity to Climate Variability Project; the Solid Waste Management and Recycling Project; the Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Metabolic Diseases; the Renewable Energy Dispatch Special Project; the Women’s Employment, Entrepreneurship and Financial Inclusion Project; the Digital Identification Card Verification Project, and the Mandarin Teacher Dispatch Project.
Prime Minister Dr. Drew commended Ambassador Lin and his team for the tremendous work being undertaken in St. Kitts and Nevis in various fields, noting that “the Republic of China (Taiwan) has become a household name for your significant contributions in the various areas that were demonstrated.”
Speaking as the Minister responsible for Health, Prime Minister Dr. Drew said he was particularly heartened to learn more about the Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Metabolic Diseases.
“I would say and be frank with our people that we need to do work. We cannot continue like this with the rates of hypertension, obesity and diabetes. We need all the cooperation that we can have and we will do our part from the government level and as the Minister of Health to see how we can curb these numbers otherwise even with a new hospital we may not be able to handle all of the complications from these diseases, so I want to thank you for that,” said Dr. Drew.
The honourable Prime Minister stated that his administration will certainly aim to “strengthen the cooperation and most of all our friendship and goodwill for each other.”
He added, “I want to thank you very much and to really send to you and extend my gratitude to your president and your government and the people of the Republic of China (Taiwan) for what they have been doing in terms of cooperation and helping us to have a brighter future.”
In addition to the projects named, St. Kitts and Nevis has benefited in a number of other areas such as tourism, agriculture, national security and education as a direct result of its relationship with Taiwan.
St. Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of China (Taiwan) formally established diplomatic relations in 1983.