BASSETERRE, St. Kitts, February 2, 2018 (Press Unit in the Office of the Prime Minister) – Foreign Affairs Minister of the Republic of China (Taiwan), His Excellency Dr. David Lee, who is on an official State visit to St. Kitts and Nevis, met today, Friday, February 2, 2018, with Prime Minister, Dr. the Honourable Timothy Harris.
His Excellency David Lee arrived in St. Kitts earlier today where he was greeted at the Robert L. Bradshaw International Airport with a Guard of Honour by members of the Royal St. Christopher and Nevis Police Force and the St. Kitts and Nevis Defence Force.
On hand to greet the visiting minister was St. Kitts and Nevis’ Minister of Foreign Affairs, the Honourable Mark Brantley and Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency George Gow Wei Chiou.
During the courtesy call with Prime Minister Harris, Foreign Affairs Minister Lee relayed a personal greeting from President of the Republic of China (Taiwan), Her Excellency Dr. Tsai Ing-Wen, noting, “Before coming here, she asked me to give you her highest regards. She remembers vividly the good conversations you had with her, and she wants me to tell you that we…will continue to work closely with St. Christopher and Nevis, and that we appreciate very much your friendship and support.”
Prime Minister Harris noted that the visit of His Excellency David Lee will further consolidate the historic bilateral relationships shared between both nations, which started in 1981 with an agricultural cooperation agreement, and later in 1983 when diplomatic ties were officially formalized.
“Since that time we have consolidated [and] we have grown from strength to strength,” Dr. Harris stated. “St. Kitts and Nevis has been one of your most reliable allies, advocating on behalf of the Government and people of Taiwan and promoting your agenda as far as international relations and diplomacy are concerned.”
In this regard, St. Kitts and Nevis continues to lobby for Taiwan’s inclusion at the international level, giving strong support for Taiwan’s place in the World Health Organization, WTO and the United Nations Assembly, among other entities.
Prime Minister Harris continued, “We believe that Taiwan is a very strong, proud and resilient country with many resources, notwithstanding its physical size, that can be made available to the international community in a variety of areas.”
Foreign Affairs Minister Lee earlier paid a courtesy call on Governor General, His Excellency Sir S. W Tapley Seaton, GCMG, CVO, QC, JP.
On Saturday, February 3, Minister Lee is expected to visit and inspect the operations at the St. Kitts Eco Park at Sir Gillies Estate, Sandy Point.
Later that afternoon, His Excellency David Lee will carry out an inspection of the Hospital Information System Project and Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Chronic Kidney Disease at the JNF General Hospital.
Both projects are funded by the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan).
