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Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Trade and Commerce, Hon. Sir Louis Straker, will be present at the Argyle International Airport (AIA), on Thursday 1st February, 2018, to officially welcome His Excellency, David Tawei Lee, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of China (Taiwan), along with his spouse, Mrs. Lin Chih, to Saint Vincent and the Grenadines.

His Excellency, David Lee is leading a five-member delegation to the country for the one-day state visit. The other members of his delegation will include: Ambassador Lin CHOU, Director General of Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, MOFA; Mr. Shyi-ren SUN, Minister on Home Assignment, Minister’s Office; Mr. Chi-Chung HSU, Section Chief, Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, MOFA; and Mr. Fu-ming TANG, First Secretary on Home Assignment, Department of Latin American and Caribbean Affairs, MOFA.

This is the first time that Minister Lee is visiting Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, however, since the establishment of Diplomatic relations between both countries in 1981 and the Taiwan Technical Mission one year later, in 1982. Saint Vincent and the Grenadines has received previous visits by Foreign Ministers in 2003, 2005 and 2013.

As part of the official state visit there will be a signing of a bilateral Agreement on the Capacity Building Project for the Prevention and Control of Diabetes in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and the launching of the Electronic Document and Records Management System (EDRMS), and PKI Smart Card System.

The Diabetes Prevention and Control Agreement aims to provide assistance in planning effective integrated care strategies and practices on the prevention and control of the disease; while the introduction of the EDRMS is aimed at improving public administrative efficiency and strengthening the information security for e-Government applications.

Over the past 37 years, various bilateral co-operation projects, covering infrastructure, agriculture, education, information technology, health, human resource, among others, have been signed by both countries.

Thursday's signing ceremony will commence at 3:00 p.m. at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs conference room. Minister Lee and his delegation will be met upon arrival at the AIA by Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Foreign Affairs, Hon. Sir Louis Straker and Deputy Director of Foreign Policy and Research, Mrs. Doris Charles.

SOURCE: API