Foreign Affairs Minister rejects claims about Taiwan owning SVG

Minister of Foreign Affairs Keisal Peters, and the Ambassador of Taiwan to St Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG) Peter Sha-Li Lan have rejected claims that Taiwan is taking over SVG with Peters remarking that it seems as if some persons are allergic to progress.

Prime Minister Dr Ralph Gonsalves in recent pronouncements indicated that SVG owed Taiwan some EC$577.9 million, noting that the debt will be “a hook in the gill” of any administration that wants to switch diplomatic allegiances from Taiwan to mainland China as the New Democratic Party has said it will do if elected to office. Under the terms of the agreement, the loan will become immediately repayable.

“Go ahead if you think you’re a big fish, leh we see how you can deal with this,” Gonsalves had said at the April 5 signing of the most recent loan agreement with Taiwan to finance SVGs national secondary roads improvement programme.

There has been a virtual uproar in some quarters, with persons saying that St Vincent and the Grenadines belongs to Taiwan, and others saying that the nation should be renamed ‘St Vincent and the Grenadines of Taiwan.’

However, Peters rejected these remarks during an interview on Monday, April 17 with the Agency for Public Information on its ‘Marnin SVG’ programme.

She said that St Vincent and the Grenadines is a sovereign state and Taiwan does not own it.

“Taiwan is a partner of St Vincent and the Grenadines and … we’ve been allies for over four decades. You know, it is very unfortunate the narrative that I see emanating but I intend to address that issue very soon … because … it appears that some persons, they are allergic to progress but we are not allergic to progress,” Peters stated.

“ We are one hundred percent for progress and we go forward to ensure that this country [is]developed in a way for the benefit of ourselves and for future generations.”

Ambassador Lan added that he thinks the call which was made for mature diplomacy and constructive engagement to find a peaceful resolution to the situation in the Taiwan Strait is what they are looking for and he thanked the government and people of St. Vincent and Grenadines on behalf of Taiwan.

“That shows exactly what we are discussing here. That shows the great determination, empathy and long lasting friendship between the two countries. We, for 42 years are genial partners. We have never been doing things without mutual respect, mutual benefit, and this is exactly why in addition to the call for SVG, a lot of other international partners are calling the same thing asking for a peaceful resolution of the Taiwan Strait,” Ambassador Lan noted.

He added that his country is a genuine partner with SVG and any project on which they are working is for “the benefit and welfare of Vincentians.”

Peters said that the current administration do not play games or make jokes when it comes to foreign policy. She added that the administration’s foreign policy is rooted in principles of independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity.

“…Taiwan has been a partner of St. Vincent and the Grenadines since 1981. This year we are going to be celebrating 42 years of diplomatic relations. That is a significant amount of time, and Taiwan and SVG-we have partnered in many areas and Taiwan has contributed to the development of SVG in every sector you can think of.”

She explained that the Taiwan Export-Import Bank has provided funds to assist SVG with the construction of the modern port project and is also providing the loan for the national secondary roads programme, noting the various areas in which Taiwan has been providing support for SVG.

“We have the area of health. We have areas of infrastructure …, particularly, I point to the Rabacca Bridge, I’m using that one as a landmark example, and there are many other projects that Taiwan has assisted us in terms of infrastructure development. There is agriculture… and of course there’s education … it will be remiss of me not to mention education that Taiwan has been here working with SVG from the primary level the secondary level, the tertiary level, and the university level. “

Peters said that one can see the handprint and the footprint of Taiwan and its partnership with SVG and noted that SVG has also been in Taiwan’s corner.

The minister said that she also intends to be personally addressing the narrative of some that SVG is owned by the government of Taiwan.