TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Saint Vincent and the Grenadines' ambassador to Taiwan, Andrea Bowman, hailed the close ties between the two countries at an inauguration ceremony for the Caribbean nation’s embassy in Taipei on Thursday (Aug. 8).

“Taiwan and St. Vincent are a family,” said Bowman in her address, noting that the establishment of the diplomatic mission marked a new beginning for the bilateral relationship and reaffirmed the two sides' pledge to promote democracy, reported the Central News Agency (CNA). 

The opening of the embassy on Father’s Day coincided with the birthday of Ralph Gonsalves, prime minister of the Taiwanese ally, who also graced the event. He stated that the setup of the diplomatic mission is a political statement on how the Caribbean nation places great emphasis on bilateral ties and that he looks forward to strengthened cooperation with Taiwan on addressing challenges such as climate change, wrote CNA.

Saint Vincent and the Grenadines forged diplomatic ties with Taiwan in 1981. The country’s Health Minister, Luke Browne, delivered a speech at the opening session of the World Health Assembly in May, advocating for the inclusion of Taiwan in the UN agency.