On October 9, one day ahead of Taiwan’s annual Double Ten Day National Day celebration, a diplomatic reception was held at Sandals Golf and Country Club in Cap Estate, drawing senior government officials, diplomatic representatives and community members to mark both the 115th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China and the deep, decades-long partnership between Taiwan and the Caribbean island nation of Saint Lucia.
During the event, both sides reaffirmed their longstanding mutual commitments: Taiwan restated its pledge to support Saint Lucia’s sustainable social and economic development, while Saint Lucia reconfirmed its backing for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in global intergovernmental bodies. This year’s celebration also carried added significance, as it coincided with the 30th anniversary of Taiwan’s first direct presidential election, a milestone Nicole Su, Taiwan’s ambassador to Saint Lucia, framed as a clear reflection of the island’s decades of democratic progress and its unwavering commitment to upholding freedom and human rights.
Addressing attendees, Ambassador Su extended her gratitude to the government and people of Saint Lucia for their consistent diplomatic solidarity. She specifically thanked Saint Lucia for its public and sustained support for Taiwan’s inclusion in the United Nations, the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. “Your solidarity with Taiwan and your voice of concern over the peace and security in our region is heart-warming, and it brings hope to the Taiwanese people,” Su told the gathering.
Beyond diplomatic collaboration, Su outlined Taiwan’s key global economic and technological standing, noting that as of the end of July this year, the island held more than $594 billion in foreign exchange reserves. She also emphasized Taiwan’s irreplaceable role in global advanced technology supply chains: the island produces over 90 percent of the world’s most cutting-edge semiconductor chips, while Taiwan-based manufacturers account for more than 90 percent of global production and assembly of artificial intelligence servers.
Under this year’s reception theme, “Together as One”, Su emphasized that the Taiwanese Embassy in Saint Lucia and the island’s technical mission on the ground work continuously to build mutual benefits from the bilateral partnership. Longstanding cooperation between the two nations spans a wide range of priority areas for Saint Lucia, including agriculture, public health, information technology, community-based tourism, education, and youth and women’s empowerment. New collaborative projects focused on the fashion industry, cybersecurity, and emergency medical services are already in development to expand the partnership’s impact.
Among the ongoing cultural cooperation initiatives, Su highlighted a pilot project to develop a digital Saint Lucian Creole-English dictionary, a project designed to support the preservation of the island’s unique Creole cultural heritage. To date, people-to-people exchanges have already created deep ties between the two populations: Taiwan has hosted capacity-building workshops that have welcomed 50 Saint Lucian professionals, farmers, activists and public servants, and over the past 19 years, 432 Saint Lucian students have pursued higher education in Taiwan, with 48 new students arriving as recently as this past August. Su also highlighted personal cross-cultural connections, sharing stories of intermarried Saint Lucian-Taiwanese couples that she said demonstrate the two nations have become one extended family.
Senior Minister Stephenson King, delivering a statement on behalf of Saint Lucia Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre, praised Taiwan’s remarkable economic transformation and its long track record of tangible, community-focused support for Saint Lucia’s development. King outlined that Taiwan’s assistance has enabled a series of critical social and economic projects across the Caribbean nation, spanning education, healthcare, agriculture, digital infrastructure, physical infrastructure, disaster response, climate resilience, and equity initiatives for young people and women. In the health sector, the partnership has delivered medical outreach missions, new biomedical equipment, specialized training for local healthcare workers, and critical support during the height of the COVID-19 pandemic. In agriculture, Taiwanese technical experts have introduced high-yield new crop varieties, trained local farmers, and helped improve post-harvest handling practices to reduce food waste and boost farmer incomes.
King noted that Taiwan’s scholarship program and constituency development initiative have been particularly impactful for local communities. “What makes this partnership special is that Taiwan’s assistance is not abstract; it is injected directly into our economy, into our schools, into our clinics, into our farms, and into the hands of our people,” he said. King formally reaffirmed Saint Lucia’s longstanding commitment to supporting Taiwan’s participation in international organizations and its bid for United Nations membership, noting that the 2015 opening of Saint Lucia’s first Asian embassy in Taipei stands as a lasting symbol of this commitment. He added that Prime Minister Pierre restated Saint Lucia’s position in his September 25 address to the 81st United Nations General Assembly, maintaining the nation’s consistent stance on the issue.
Allen Chastanet, leader of Saint Lucia’s parliamentary opposition, also commended the decades-long bilateral relationship, noting that it is rooted in shared democratic values, mutual respect, and a shared goal of improving quality of life for people in both nations. “Your theme tonight, ‘Together As One’, reminds us that the strongest partnerships bring people together through trust and common purpose,” Chastanet said.
Beyond diplomatic remarks, the celebration featured cultural performances from local groups including the Silver Shadow Performing Arts Academy, the Castries Comprehensive Secondary School Music Hub, and the Royal Saint Lucia Police Band. Young artists from the Castries Secondary School Music Hub delivered a performance of the classic Taiwanese song “Ú-iā-hue” (Rainy Night Flower), a work that explores themes of resilience and finding hope through life’s challenges. Attendees also enjoyed authentic Taiwanese cuisine and a special exhibition of traditional Saint Lucian wood sculpture. Senior attendees including acting Governor-General Felix Finisterrea and Senate President Alvina Reynolds joined the toast to Taiwan’s National Day, marking the formal occasion. Taiwan’s Double Ten Day National Day, held annually on October 10, commemorates the 1911 Wuchang Uprising that ended Qing Dynasty rule in China and paved the way for the founding of the Republic of China in 1912.