Taiwan is celebrating its 114th National Day on Friday, with its Ambassador to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Fiona Huei-Chun Fan, saying that the island stands at the frontline of defending democracy.
Speaking at a cocktail reception in Kingstown on Tuesday, Fan said Taiwan faces “constant challenges from Communist China — through military intimidation, economic coercion, diplomatic suppression, and disinformation campaigns.
“Yet, Taiwan remains calm, determined, and resolute. We will neither provoke nor yield.”
She said Taiwan will continue to defend its sovereignty, safeguard its democracy, and preserve peace and stability in the region.
“Neither Taiwan nor the PRC (People’s Republic of China) is subordinate to the other. Taiwan’s future will always be determined by the will of its 23 million people,” the diplomat said.
China regards Taiwan as a breakaway province and has not ruled out using force to bring the island under Beijing’s control.
“We will keep working with like-minded democracies, including St. Vincent and the Grenadines, to ensure that the Indo-Pacific remains a region of peace, freedom, and shared prosperity,” Fan said.
She said that since Taipei and Kingstown established diplomatic relations in 1981, the two nations have enjoyed a partnership built on mutual respect, shared prosperity, and unwavering faith in democratic values.
“We are especially grateful to Prime Minister [Ralph] Gonsalves for his impassioned call at the United Nations General Debate this past September — a powerful affirmation of Taiwan’s rightful place in the international community,” Fan said.
She also thanked Kingstown for its continued support in Taipei’s campaign to join the UN’s health, climate change, civil aviation, and crime prevention agencies.
Fan noted that Taiwan celebrates its 114th National Day just days before SVG marks its 46th anniversary of independence.
“Tonight, we not only celebrate our shared history — we also celebrate our shared vision for the future.”
Fan said that Taiwan is the 22nd largest economy in the world, ranks 6th in global competitiveness and 4th in economic freedom.
“Our exports have exceeded US$475 billion, and our GDP per capita now stands at US$34,000 — a reflection of the hard work and resilience of our people.
“We are also proud to say that Taiwan is also a global digital partner, with our brand ASUS and ACER, etc. producing 70% of laptops worldwide. Taiwan produces 90% of the world’s AI servers, placing us at the very heart of the global artificial intelligence supply chain.”
Fan said many of the world’s leading tech companies — including Google, Microsoft, and Micron — have established R&D centres in Taiwan, reaffirming Taiwan’s role as a trusted and indispensable partner in the digital age.
“But Taiwan’s technology is not meant for Taiwan alone,” she said. “Our progress is meaningful only when it helps our allies grow with us — and nowhere is that more evident than here, in St. Vincent and the Grenadines.”
She noted that Taiwan and SVG have worked together to install 320 CCTV cameras across the country, supported by an AI-powered Police Security Analytics Centre.
In agriculture, the Young Farmers Training Program, a three-year initiative, is designed to modernise local farming and strengthen climate resilience.
Through the use of IoT-based environmental controls and smart plant factories, 75 young Vincentian farmers will receive training in crop production, post-harvest handling, and agribusiness management.
And the top graduates will receive entrepreneurship coaching and seed funding to launch their own ventures.
Taiwan’s livestock project with SVG has doubled pig production and quality through the introduction of purebred animals, artificial insemination, and improved nutrition.
“And of course, one of the proudest achievements in our bilateral cooperation is the construction of the Arnos Vale Acute Care Hospital.”
Taiwan has lent SVG US$125 million, from which the government has awarded a US$78 million contract to a Taiwanese firm for the construction of the hospital.
“This hospital stands as a symbol of our friendship and our shared belief that good health is the foundation of national development,” Fan said.
“Out of the 12 buildings planned, two buildings for administration and pharmacy have already begun to rise, and another two for diagnostics and general ward will be structurally completed by the end of this year,” she said, adding that the project is slated to be completed over the next two years.
Fan said another shared priority between the two nations is youth empowerment, with Taiwan financing programmes such as YES, SET, ONSITE, and GYVE, in addition to bursaries and the 321 university scholarships since 2004.
Taiwan’s geopolitical stance is heavily aligned with the United States. Critics of U.S. foreign policy contend that it promotes a Western-centric world order. The U.S. uses economic sanctions to coerce compliance from other nations and, in some instances, supported interventions that lead to regime change in opposing states. The US uses it’s military to impose capitalism on others.
SVG and Taiwan has had a close and fantastic relationship for many years. However I see sign of China planning to invade and take control of Taiwan. Right now China doesn’t have the military equipment to go after Taiwan. However with the backing of Russia, North Korea and India it can take on the US, who would be unable to take-on 3 nuclear nations at the same time.
Today America is afraid of Russia and that’s why it didn’t and couldn’t help Ukraine. Putin saw this fear even when Obama was president. The same thing happened under Biden and now under Trump.