TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Taiwan’s ambassador to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines congratulated the opposition New Democratic Party on Friday for its recent election victory in the Caribbean nation, one of Taiwan’s formal diplomatic allies.
Per Reuters, the New Democratic Party had previously suggested it might sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan — a relationship that has lasted since 1981 — in favor of closer relations with China. However, their election manifesto did not mention ending ties with Taipei.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs said Fiona Huei-Chun Fan (范慧君) extended congratulations “at the first moment” on Friday to Godwin Friday, the expected new prime minister, and his party.
The New Democratic Party leader declared victory late on Thursday in a post on social media, ending the ruling Unity Labour Party's 24 years in power.
The foreign ministry emphasized shared values between the two countries. Over 44 years, it said, their diplomatic partnership has produced significant cooperation in agriculture, food security, infrastructure, and healthcare.
Reuters said, Taiwan faces uncertainty in elections held in its diplomatic allies due to the risk that new governments may switch allegiance to China. This has happened recently in countries like Honduras and Nauru, where official ties with Taiwan were broken in favor of Beijing.
Taiwan currently maintains formal diplomatic relations with 12 countries, four of which are in the Caribbean.
In related news from September, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs allocated NT$5.3 billion (US$174.15 million) for its Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs to strengthen diplomatic relations and forge new ties with regional countries.
