President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday welcomed Saint Lucia’s new ambassador to Taiwan, as Robert Kennedy Lewis presented his credentials to her.
At the ceremony, Tsai said that Lewis’ extensive political experience, including serving as Saint Lucia’s minister of education, would serve him well in the post.
“He can help deepen relations between the two countries,” Tsai said, adding that Lewis, who has visited Taiwan several times, is an “old friend.”
Photo: CNA
Taiwan and Saint Lucia have closely cooperated over the years in such areas as agriculture and education, Tsai said, adding that her visit to the Caribbean nation in 2019 helped to bolster ties between them.
Tsai asked the ambassador to convey her greetings to acting Saint Lucian Governor-General Errol Charles and Saint Lucian Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre.
Lewis said that he was extremely honored to serve as Saint Lucian ambassador to Taiwan.
The two countries are island nations known for their friendliness and hospitality, he said, adding that they have a shared respect for such common values as rule of law, democracy, freedom, equality and peace.
Lewis thanked Taiwan for providing assistance to Saint Lucia over the past 20 years, especially in the areas of agriculture, education, public health, business and corporate services.
More than 120 Saint Lucian students are studying in Taiwan, he said, adding that he hopes Taiwan continues to provide learning opportunities for his country’s doctors, young scholars, students and other professionals.
Taiwan first established diplomatic relations with Saint Lucia in 1984, although ties were severed from 1997 to 2007.
Separately, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs yesterday said that Taiwan is not sending an official delegation to next week’s inauguration ceremony of South Korean president-elect Yoon Suk-yeol due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but would instead send representatives from Taiwan’s office in Seoul.
Ministry spokeswoman Joanne Ou (歐江安) said that the government wanted to send a delegation led by the legislative speaker to Tuesday’s ceremony, which is to take place in the plaza in front of the National Assembly in Seoul.
As COVID-19 outbreaks in Taiwan and South Korea would require delegation members to quarantine for seven days upon returning, Taipei decided against the idea after consulting with lawmakers, Ou said.
The Taipei Mission in Korea would instead send officials to the ceremony, she said.
Former legislative speaker Wang Jin-pyng (王金平) led a delegation to the 2013 inauguration of former South Korean president Park Geun-hye.
When South Korean President Moon Jae-In’s inauguration was held in May 2017, no overseas guests were invited, as he assumed office the day after the election.
The Ministry of Education (MOE) is to launch a new program to encourage international students to stay in Taiwan and explore job opportunities here after graduation, Deputy Minister of Education Yeh Ping-cheng (葉丙成) said on Friday. The government would provide full scholarships for international students to further their studies for two years in Taiwan, so those who want to pursue a master’s degree can consider applying for the program, he said. The fields included are science, technology, engineering, mathematics, semiconductors and finance, Yeh added. The program, called “Intense 2+2,” would also assist international students who completed the two years of further studies in
The brilliant blue waters, thick foliage and bucolic atmosphere on this seemingly idyllic archipelago deep in the Pacific Ocean belie the key role it now plays in a titanic geopolitical struggle. Palau is again on the front line as China, and the US and its allies prepare their forces in an intensifying contest for control over the Asia-Pacific region. The democratic nation of just 17,000 people hosts US-controlled airstrips and soon-to-be-completed radar installations that the US military describes as “critical” to monitoring vast swathes of water and airspace. It is also a key piece of the second island chain, a string of
Taiwan will now have four additional national holidays after the Legislative Yuan passed an amendment today, which also made Labor Day a national holiday for all sectors. The Chinese Nationalist Party (KMT) and Taiwan People’s Party (TPP) used their majority in the Legislative Yuan to pass the amendment to the Act on Implementing Memorial Days and State Holidays (紀念日及節日實施辦法), which the parties jointly proposed, in its third and final reading today. The legislature passed the bill to amend the act, which is currently enforced administratively, raising it to the legal level. The new legislation recognizes Confucius’ birthday on Sept. 28, the
A magnitude 5.9 earthquake that struck about 33km off the coast of Hualien City was the "main shock" in a series of quakes in the area, with aftershocks expected over the next three days, the Central Weather Administration (CWA) said yesterday. Prior to the magnitude 5.9 quake shaking most of Taiwan at 6:53pm yesterday, six other earthquakes stronger than a magnitude of 4, starting with a magnitude 5.5 quake at 6:09pm, occurred in the area. CWA Seismological Center Director Wu Chien-fu (吳健富) confirmed that the quakes were all part of the same series and that the magnitude 5.5 temblor was
RSS