St. Lucia PM arrives in Taiwan for official visit.

TAIPEI, Taiwan, CMC – St. Lucia’s Prime Minister Phillip J. Pierre arrived on Tuesday for a five-day visit, during which he will meet with President Lai Ching-te and other officials to discuss bilateral issues.

Pierre is leading a delegation that includes Attorney General Leslie Mondesir, government legislator Allison A. Jean, and Daryl Raymond, chairman of the St. Lucia Development Bank.

According to the statement announcing Pierre’s arrival, President Lai will host a military honors ceremony to welcome him, and Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung will host a banquet in his honor.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said the two sides will also discuss issues of mutual interest and prospects for future cooperation.

This is Pierre’s fourth visit to Taiwan since taking office in 2021, and the statement said that while in Taiwan, the delegation will visit Cathay General Hospital, the iconic Taipei 101 skyscraper in Taipei, and the TSMC Museum of Innovation in Hsinchu.

St. Lucia is one of 12 states worldwide that recognize the Republic of China (ROC), which China regards as a renegade province and has urged the international community to adopt the “One China” policy.

The two countries first established diplomatic relations in 1984, but broke ties in 1997 when St. Lucia switched recognition from Taipei to Beijing. But in April 2007, the ROC and St. Lucia reestablished diplomatic relations.

Meanwhile, a statement issued in Castries said that President Lin began his official visit by discussing housing, food security, education, and opportunities for young people.

It said President Lin spoke of Taiwan’s continued cooperation with St. Lucia in areas including agriculture, security, technology, and empowering women and young people. He also acknowledged the contributions of Taiwan-supported projects to St. Lucians’ lives and thanked Castries for supporting Taiwan’s meaningful participation in international organizations.

In his remarks, Prime Minister Pierre expressed appreciation for the US$20 million loan secured through Taiwan’s Export-Import Bank to support housing development in his country. He also identified food security as a priority, emphasizing the need to increase production for local consumption while expanding the country’s export capacity.

Speaking on youth development, Prime Minister Pierre highlighted St. Lucia’s Youth Economy initiative and expressed hope for greater exchanges between young people from both countries.