Basseterre, St. Kitts, October 14, 2015 (SKNIS)–His Excellency David Lin, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Deputy Prime Minister of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Hon. Shawn Richards and Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Hon. Mark Brantley held high level discussions on October 12. The honourable ministers were visiting Taiwan for the celebration of the 104 Anniversary of the Founding of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
After lauding the strong bonds of friendship between the two countries since Saint Kitts and Nevis became an independent country thirty two years ago, H.E. David Lin outlined the areas in which Saint Kitts and Nevis and Taiwan had collaborated and expressed his desire for the two countries to accomplish even more together.
“…the bonds of friendship between our two countries are solid and we were grateful for the kind words offered by Prime Minister Harris on our behalf in the General Debate at the UN,” Minister Lin expressed. He further elaborated that the Republic of China (Taiwan) will like to see an expansion in the area of capacity building and that he is very supportive of an increase in the number of scholarships that are awarded to the citizens of the Federation.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Saint Kitts and Nevis, the Honourable Mark Brantley assured Minister Lin that the long standing friendship between the two countries remains strong and that the new government of National Unity, led by Dr. The Honourable Timothy Harris will seek to deepen the ties going forward. “The Federation remains committed to this very important relationship,” stated the Honorable Mark Brantley. Honorable Shawn Richards in his capacity as Minister of Education raised the matter of assistance in the area of vocational training to which Foreign Minister Lin was very receptive.
The delegation also met with the Deputy Minister of Education and other officials from Taiwan’s Ministry of Education. During this meeting, in-depth discussions ensued, and the possibility of language training as a pilot project in the Federation was raised by the delegation with both sides agreeing to further explore the possibility. The Ministry of Education of Taiwan also highlighted the Taiwan scholarship program, short term language program, technical and vocational education and reciprocal visits as additional areas of cooperation for the two countries.