President Tsai Ing-wen of Taiwan to embark on State Visit to Saint Lucia

At the invitation of Prime Minister Allen Chastanet, Her Excellency President Tsai Ing-wen of the Republic of China (Taiwan) will lead a delegation on a State Visit to Saint Lucia from July 17^th to 19^th, 2019.

The Government of Saint Lucia is in preparations to welcome the President and the delegation and has planned several activities associated with the significance of the visit.

“It is a great honour to have President Tsai visit Saint Lucia,” stated Prime Minister Chastanet. “Saint Lucia has over the past three years greatly deepened our ties with Taiwan and we have broadened areas of co-operation. Taiwan has been instrumental in the development of our country in so many areas and this gives us an opportunity show our gratitude and share our country’s beauty and culture with President Tsai.”

During her visit to Saint Lucia, President Tsai will call on Governor General H.E. Sir Emmanuel Neville Cenac, Prime Minister Allen M. Chastanet, Senate President Jeannine Giraudy-McIntyre and House Speaker Andy Daniel. President Tsai will discuss and exchange ideas with them on bilateral and international issues of mutual concern. She will also address the joint session of the Parliament on the cordial and mutually beneficial relations between Taiwan and Saint Lucia.

The delegation will also attend the sod-turning ceremony for the St. Jude Hospital Redevelopment Project, the launch of Phase II of the Government Island-wide Network (GiNet) and the dedication of the Gros Islet Human Resource Development Centre. A tour of the Inland Reception and Distribution Centre (IRDC) will also be featured to highlight Taiwan’s role in the success story of Saint Lucian banana industry’s renaissance.

These events will showcase the fruits of Taiwan’s bilateral cooperation with Saint Lucia, and the role of Taiwan’s steadfast diplomacy in helping Saint Lucia achieve the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) through mutual assistance for mutual benefits.

In view of the priority Saint Lucia places on attracting foreign investments and promoting tourism, Taiwan will also dispatch a tourism industry delegation to explore the travel environment and market trends in fair Helen of the West. They will have the opportunity to establish channels for co-operation and spur further exchanges with the travel industry in Saint Lucia.

In addition to Saint Lucia, President Tsai and her delegation will also visit Haiti, St. Christopher and Nevis and St. Vincent and the Grenadines, respectively. The purpose of this visit is to demonstrate the importance Taiwan places on its Caribbean allies and the continued friendly ties with them.

This state visit centres on themes of freedom, democracy, and sustainability because the four Caribbean countries President Tsai’s delegation will be visiting, as well as the United States where she will make transit stops, are all free, democratic, like-minded partners of Taiwan. All these countries actively promote democracy and freedom in the region. During this state visit, the delegation will visit Taiwan’s various cooperative programmes which help promote sustainable development in these countries and achieve the United Nations’ SDGs.

President Tsai’s delegation also includes National Security Council Secretary-General David T. Lee, Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu, Minister Wu Hsin-hsing of the Overseas Community Affairs Council, and other cabinet and deputy cabinet members, members of the Legislative Yuan, and representatives of business and industry.