By *Jomo Sanga Thomas
(“Plain Talk” June 6, 2025)
“Nations do not have permanent friends or enemies, only interests.” — Henry John Temple, former British Prime Minister.
“The Cuban revolutionary leadership will never harbour ingratitude towards the Soviet Union.” — Fidel Castro.
Prime Minister Ralph Gonsalves has reiterated his government’s commitment to maintaining diplomatic relations with Taiwan. The phrase “we will never break ties with Taiwan” has become something of a mantra as our country moves ever closer to the next elections, expected before the end of the year.
To gain some perspective, we need history’s help.
Our country attained independence in 1979. Two years later, the Milton Cato government established relations with Taiwan, then an undemocratic society that routinely violated the rights of its citizenry and frequently crushed workers’ efforts to organise in trade unions to defend their interests.
The decision to foster relations with the government in Taipei was roundly condemned by local progressive forces, among whom Gonsalves had a prominent role. To be sure, Taiwan has made rapid strides economically. Its democratic bona fides have vastly improved, and its respect for workers’ rights is no longer brought into question in human rights circles. From all reports, it is a thriving bourgeois democracy.
Taiwan emerged as a distinct entity in international politics following the victory of the communists led by Mao Zedong in 1949. After the triumph of the Chinese revolution, Western countries immediately moved to isolate the communist, and Taiwan was given a seat at the United Nations. This situation all changed on Oct. 25, 1971, when the United Nations voted to bestow on Beijing its rightful place at the United Nations as the authentic representative of the Chinese people.
Over the next five decades, the People’s Republic of China established diplomatic relations with 181 of 193 countries represented at the United Nations. Of the 12 countries that maintain relations with Taiwan, five are from the Caribbean – Belize, Haiti, St. Kitts and Nevis, St. Lucia, and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
What explains this hardened position? What does SVG get in return for this iron-clad expression of support for Tawan, a country that is increasingly isolated around the world?
The government says that the relationship has served us well. Has it?
For one thing, St. Vincent’s debt to Taiwan is rapidly approaching a billion dollars. This figure amounts to one-third of our national debt. So massive is the debt and so entangled is the Gonsalves regime with Taipei that Gonsalves gloated that our indebtedness to Taiwan is a hook in the gill of our nation that he dared anyone to attempt to remove.
Over the years, Taiwan has provided assistance to build the Rabacca bridge, funded the public library, offered budgetary support for the YES and SET programmes, donated a few vehicles and motorcycles, and awarded hundreds of university scholarships. Some may point to the terminal building at the Argyle International Airport, but that was built with a loan from Taiwan.
The hospital in Arnos Vales, a government facility, is being constructed with a US$126 million loan from Taiwan. However, we must remember that initial funding (US$93 million) for that hospital was secured in 2022 from the World Bank and the Saudi Fund. Gonsalves is now squandering that money by giving cash awards to individuals to win favours for the upcoming elections.
The government may point to a few other Taiwan-inspired initiatives, but these are far from contributions that significantly contribute to the transformation of our country.
Compare the assistance we have received from our Cuban cousins, who are far less economically endowed, to that of our Taiwanese counterparts.
Cuba’s selfless assistance to our country became evident in 1979, in the aftermath of the April 13 eruption of the La Soufrière volcano. The unsolicited gift of a shipload of humanitarian assistance sailed into Kingstown harbour a full 12 years before James Mitchell’s New Democratic Party established diplomatic relations with Havana. The gesture stunned Milton Cato and the colonial-minded political stooges around him, whose instinctive response was to refuse the gift because it came from revolutionary Cuba.
Cuba’s assistance has continued unabated even as the American and European Union leaders maintain a crippling strangulation blockade intended to subvert the Cuban people’s efforts for liberty and development.
Over the last 45 years, Cuba has offered over 300 university scholarships, training our young people in a wide range of disciplines. Cuba has sent nurses and doctors. It built, equipped and supplied specialist staff to assist with the efficient functioning of the Medical Diagnostic Centre at Georgetown. Its medical brigade has had a continuing presence over the last 30 years.
The Vision Now programme offered renewed sight, vision and relief to hundreds of citizens.
Cuban architects designed the Argyle International Airport, and hundreds of Cuban workers and engineers played a lionised role in its construction. Cuban technical teams in agriculture, education, tourism, and road construction have quietly helped with our development.
On balance, Cuba’s assistance is far more transformative and meaningful than that which we have received from Taiwan. Most important is the fact that we do not owe only a single cent to Cuba, while our debt to Taiwan gallops towards $1 billion. Taiwan boasts that it has the 14th largest foreign reserves in the world. It is a global leader in electronics and other cutting-edge fields. None of this is brought to bear on our relations. It gifted a concrete box for a library and a far-from-modern bridge at Rabacca.
Based on the relative development of Cuba and Taiwan, Cuba’s assistance to our country in per capita terms far outstretches the meagre contribution we receive from Taipei. Yet no one in the ULP sings praises to Cuba as we do to Taiwan.
Therefore, Gonsalves’ never-ending commitment to Taiwan cannot stem from a deep understanding of the tenets of international relations and what is in the best interest of our country. The time is long past due for an investigation into the dealings of a leader who celebrates the fact that another country (Taiwan) has a “hook in the gill” of the nation he leads.
This level of puppetry is damn near treasonous and undoubtedly amounts to misbehaviour in public office.
*Jomo Sanga Thomas is a lawyer, journalist, social commentator and a former Speaker of the House of Assembly in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
The opinions presented in this content belong to the author and may not necessarily reflect the perspectives or editorial stance of iWitness News. Opinion pieces can be submitted to [email protected].
Undoubtedly!
Well written Sir Jomo! It’s time that vincentians wake up and understand that Ralph is taking the country to hell on a fishing hook🪝. The squandering of loans and grants to fake political prowess is a disgrace in the worst way! He’s trying to hold the country at ransom and, with the help of supposedly, sensible people who ought to know better. Time for him and his cronies to be booted out of office. The crime rate in St Vincent is alarming and serious people need to be put in charge to protect our children, elderly and working class people from the criminal elements in our state.
Under Donald Trump’s chaotic watch, the dictatorial Cuban regime will soon be strangled to death by devastating sanctions, perhaps even a naval and aerial blockade, while mainland China will be allowed to take full and deserved control of its renegade province Taiwan, a move that would be applauded in the USA because it would re-energize America’s high tech industry.
As for our tiny and insignificant rock, these two moves would irredeemably cripple our economy for generations.
I usually avoid reading C.Ben-David contribution, given that it’s usually laced with illogical conclusions. This piece continues the same trend. Taiwan has all the characteristics of a real country, unlike your piece of Rock.