KINGSTOWN, St. Vincent, CMC—Taiwan says it will donate US$200,000 to assist St. Vincent and the Grenadines after Hurricane Beryl hit the country on Monday.
“At this tragic time, Taiwan Ambassador Fiona Huei-Chun Fan expressed solidarity and profound sympathy with the people and government of St. Vincent and the Grenadines,” the Taiwan Embassy in Kingstown said.
“Taiwan stands firmly and willing to offer support to provide an emergency relief grant as humanitarian aid for the recovery and reconstruction efforts,” the statement said, adding that President Lai Ching-te had reaffirmed the country’s “friendship and solidarity with St. Vincent and the Grenadines during this challenging time, as well as prayers for a swift recovery.”
St. Vincent and the Grenadines is among a handful of Caribbean Community (CARICOM) countries that enjoy diplomatic relations with Taiwan, which China regards as a renegade province. China has been asking the international community to adhere to its “One China” policy instead.
On Monday, Hurricane Beryl passed between St Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada with maximum sustained winds of over 140 miles per hour (mph). It landed on Grenada’s Carriacou island as a category four storm, intensifying later to category 5.
The hurricane has left at least two people dead and comprehensive spread damage to buildings here, especially in the Southern Grenadines.
Hurricane Beryl is the first hurricane on record to reach the highest level of 5 so early in the year, though it later returned to 4.
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