Taiwan and Saint Lucia reaffirmed their strong bonds of friendship and bilateral collaboration when the Taiwan Embassy in Saint Lucia hosted a reception recently in observance of Taiwan’s 114th National Day Anniversary.
The reception was held on the evening of Thursday, October 9, 2025, at Harbor Club in Rodney Bay, one day before Taiwan’s National Day Anniversary. Taiwan’s National Day – which is observed annually on October 10 – is also referred to as Double Ten Day. The celebration marks the establishment of the Republic of China, which overthrew the Qing Dynasty in 1911 and relocated to Taiwan.
Speaking at the reception, H.E. Nicole Su, Taiwan’s Ambassador to Saint Lucia, noted that since her arrival in Saint Lucia in January this year, she has experienced the beauty of the island: its warm hospitality, rich and vibrant creativity, the resilience and perseverance of Saint Lucians.
“I think it is the same resilience and perseverance which bring Taiwan and Saint Lucia together,” she told the audience. “Both our island countries went through similar history of colonialization and autocratic control, and we both encountered in the past similar challenges of deprivation of freedom and equity.”
Ambassador Su said Saint Lucia and Taiwan are highly advanced liberal democracies, sharing friendship and collaboration that are values-based and rooted deeply in mutual respect. She said that friendship testifies that Taiwan’s diverse and open society resonates well with Saint Lucia’s and highlights the clear contrast between democratic Taiwan and autocratic China.
“Let me assure you that we are determined to defend ourselves and to maintain the peace in our region,” Ambassador Su said. “We are fully committed to ensuring that the world hears Taiwan’s call to defend democracy and freedom. For this, we’d like to thank the people and Government of Saint Lucia for standing by Taiwan on the international stage over the years. Your solidarity with Taiwan and your voice of concern over the peace and security in our region is inspiring and brings hope to our people.”
She said Taiwan was extremely grateful for Saint Lucia’s support for its participation in the United Nations, World Health Organization, International Civil Aviation Organization, UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, Interpol (International Criminal Police Organization), and other international organizations.
Ambassador Su also outlined some of the achievements Taiwan has made globally, including:
- Taiwan being the 22nd-largest economy in the world;
- Taiwan ranking number 6 in the World Competitiveness Ranking;
- In the category of economies with populations over 20 million people, Taiwan’s competitiveness has been number 1 for 5 years consecutively;
- Taiwan producing 90% of the world’s high-end chips for AI servers, being the global leader in manufacturing semi-conductor chips and computer servers;
Aside from Saint Lucia’s support for Taiwan on the international stage, she was grateful for the partnership shared on important infrastructure programmes, such as the nationwide Constituency Development Programme (CDP), and the implementation of bilateral technical projects in agriculture, public health, information technology, community tourism, youth and women, and education.
Ambassador Su said these projects are not only about physical infrastructure, equipment and Apps, noting that the core of such collaborations is always about human capital, talent development, and empowerment. She said various workshops have been organized by the Taiwan Technical Mission in Saint Lucia. Participants have included public service officers, farmers and other professionals, community people, students, teachers, men and women, young and old. This year alone, these workshops have reached out to more than 2,000 people locally. Moreover, many Saint Lucians have been able to visit Taiwan to empower themselves.
“Over the past 18 years, 378 full scholarships have been offered to Saint Lucia students to study in Taiwan, including the 44 who have just arrived in Taiwan last month,” she said. “Moreover, this year alone, 60 Saint Lucians from both public service and private sector visited Taiwan to attend workshop, seminars, and exchange programmes. The topics of these programmes cover much wider than the bilateral projects conducted locally here in Saint Lucia.”
These workshops, she said, targeted medical professionals, programmes in nursing, renewable energy, disaster prevention, land planning, financing, marketing, smart cities, digital transformation, cyber security, artificial intelligence, hospitality, and culinary art.
Meanwhile, Hon. Philip J. Pierre, Prime Minister and Minister for Finance, Economic Development, Youth Economy and Minister for Justice and National Security, said the Government and people deeply appreciate the friendship between Taiwan and Saint Lucia. He noted that while Taiwan celebrated its 114th National Day Anniversary, the relationship between Saint Lucia and Taiwan feels as long as that.
“We are two different countries with two different cultures,” the Prime Minister stated. “Ours is a small island, while yours is a vast country. But we note that your economy is the 22nd-largest in the world. So we’re hoping that you can share some of that prosperity with us, and we can continue to grow our economy for the benefit of the people of the country.”
Hon. Pierre also underscored the deep respect shared between Saint Lucia and Taiwan, noting that they share similar values and aspirations: “This friendship is strong, and this friendship is respectful. We believe that each country must have the right of non-interference in each other’s internal affairs. We respect that about each other. We also share the idea that our CARICOM Region should be a zone of peace. We hope that we can continue our friendship and continue to experience the benefits of our friendship.”
A highlight on the evening was the cutting of the large cake featuring the colours of the Taiwanese flag. A number of senior officials joined Ambassador Su and Prime Minister Pierre for the cutting of the cake including Ernest Hilaire, Stephenson King, Alva Baptiste, Joachim Henry, and Virginia Albert-Poyotte.
Other guests at the reception included Monsignor Patrick Anthony and Allen Chastanet.
This summer, Saint Lucian chef, Nicos Anthony, was invited to Taiwan, where he was able to sharpen his culinary skills. At the National Day Anniversary Ceremony at Harbor Club, guests were able to sample some of the dishes he prepared, thereby experiencing a bite of his Taiwan experience. They also sampled Taiwan Beer, shaved ice, and Taiwanese cookies and candy bars.