Relations between Taiwan and St. Kitts and Nevis remain strong despite a delay in the sending of a congratulatory note to president-elect Ma Ying-jeou (馬英九), an official for the Caribbean island country said yesterday.
Kittian charge d’affaire to Taiwan Jasmine Huggins told the Central News Agency that Taiwan-St. Kitts ties remain firm and there was no reason to suspect any otherwise.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs also echoed Huggins’ views, saying that Taiwan and St. Kitts enjoy a very healthy and close relationship and that all bilateral projects between the two countries are progressing as scheduled.
It was reported that the charge d’ affaire had to return home on the same day as the election because of a family emergency.
The rumor of shaky ties between the two countries started last week when Vice-President Annette Lu (呂秀蓮) said in a newspaper interview that the delay in the issuance of congratulatory notes from four of Taiwan’s allies, namely Burkina Faso, San Tome and Principe, Guatemala and St. Kitts and Nevis was a sign of deteriorating relations.
The ministry immediately refuted Lu’s remarks, saying that the nation’s friendships with these countries had not been affected and that the significance behind the delays should not be overly exaggerated.
The Ma camp received a congratulatory note from Basseterre last Friday.
The ministry said that the note was personally written by Kittian Prime Minister Denzil Douglas and said: “Taiwan has long been a faithful and close friend to St. Kitts for nearly 25 years and the government of St. Kitts and Nevis remains firmly committed to the growth of this friendship.”
The note also said the Kittian government hoped the Taiwan-St. Kitts relationship would continue to blossom under the incoming administration to “produce benefits of mutual advantage for both sides.”
Governor-General Sir Cuthbert Montraville Sebastian is expected to attend the inauguration ceremony on May 20, officials said.
Taiwan became the first diplomatic ally of Saint Kitts and Nevis after its independence when the two forged diplomatic ties in 1983. Douglas visited Taiwan in February to attend the opening ceremony of the country’s first embassy in Asia.
READY: The CGA said it closely monitored China’s maritime exercise, deployed vessels to shadow the Chinese ships one-on-one and set up emergency response centers Chinese navy and coast guard ships have returned to China, signaling the end of a massive maritime exercise, authorities said yesterday. The Coast Guard Administration (CGA) released images it said showed Chinese vessels sailing north in rough seas past Taiwan on Thursday, on their way to China. “All the Chinese coast guard went back to China yesterday, so although they have not officially made any announcement, we consider it over,” CGA Deputy Director-General Hsieh Ching-chin (謝慶欽) said. Beijing has not confirmed the drills and the Chinese Ministry of National Defense did not say whether the maneuvers had taken place when asked at a
People can take the Taipei MRT free of charge if they access it at Nanjing Sanmin Station or Taipei Arena Station on the Green Line between 12am and 6am on Jan. 1, the Taipei Department of Transportation said on Friday, outlining its plans to ease crowding during New Year’s events in the capital. More than 200,000 people are expected to attend New Year’s Eve events in Taipei, with singer A-mei (張惠妹) performing at the Taipei Dome and the city government’s New Year’s Eve party at Taipei City Hall Plaza, the department said. As people have tended to use the MRT’s Blue or
PUBLIC TRANSPORT: As some roads would be fully or partially closed, people are advised to take the MRT, with services expanded to accommodate more riders This year’s Taipei Marathon, which has obtained its first gold label certification from World Athletics, is to be held from 5am to 1pm tomorrow and would have 28,000 participants. The race is to start from the Taipei City Plaza and would go through major roads throughout the city, with traffic control implemented from 6am to 2pm, officials said. The Taipei Mass Rapid Transit (MRT) system and New Taipei City MRT Circle line would start operating at 5am on the day of the race, they said. The race would cover Renai Road, Xinyi Road, Hangzhou S Road, Aiguo east and west roads,
Taipei is participating in Osaka’s Festival of Lights this year, with a 3m-tall bubble tea light installation symbolizing Taiwan’s bubble tea culture. The installation is designed as a bubble tea cup and features illustrations of Taipei’s iconic landmarks, such as Taipei 101, the Red House and North Gate, as well as soup dumplings and the matchmaking deity the Old Man Under the Moon (月下老人), affectionately known as Yue Lao (月老). Taipei and Osaka have collaborated closely on tourism and culture since Taipei first participated in the festival in 2018, the Taipei City Department of Information and Tourism said. In February, Osaka represented
RSS