TAIPEI (Taiwan News) – Saint Kitts and Nevis is expanding its ties with Taiwan so they can be “as strong as possible,” Saint Kitts and Nevis Prime Minister Terrance Drew said during a press conference on Wednesday (Nov. 9).

One area the two nations are intensifying cooperation in is healthcare and national health insurance, Drew said. He told Taiwan News that his party, the Labour Party, believes healthcare is a human right.

“Everybody should have access to quality healthcare,” he said. Drew mentioned that he visited the National Health Insurance Administration to gain a better understanding of Taiwan’s health insurance system.

The prime minister said he requested that a Taiwanese team be sent to Saint Kitts and Nevis to help it implement a system of its own.

Drew also said Taiwan will continue to provide technical expertise to his country, particularly in ICT for healthcare. As Saint Kitts and Nevis strives to establish an online health management record system, Taiwan will help develop its cloud storage capacity, he said.

The prime minister said he has already asked The Cable, a local internet provider, to "build out" the nation’s fiber-optic network in anticipation of this plan.

Taiwan provides medical training to many Kittians and Nevisians, Drew said. Currently, a cadre of healthcare workers, doctors, and nurses, are in Taiwan to participate in a six-week course held by the International Cooperation and Development Fund, he said.

Drew pointed to education as another promising area of collaboration. He proposed that Kittians and Nevisians coming to study at Taiwanese universities could spend a certain number of hours per week teaching English to help Taiwan achieve its bilingual goal by 2030.

President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) has made it a goal to boost English proficiency among Taiwanese professionals.

There are now 57 Kittian and Nevisian students in Taiwan and more will come, he added. "I'm encouraging our students, really, to give a few hours back, because when you multiply those hours across 57 students that is a significant number of hours that will be contributed to the teaching of English here."

The prime minister said Taiwan can also help Saint Kitts and Nevis acquire the technological know-how and sufficient investment to harness its “unlimited amount of renewable energy.” This includes solar, wind, and geothermal energy, which could help power the country’s agriculture and ships, he said.

Drew vowed to continue supporting Taiwan in international organizations. “Every opportunity we get, we will advocate,” he said.

He noted that “a big chunk” of his speech at the U.N. General Assembly was spent vouching for Taiwan’s global participation.

The prime minister said the facts that his first state trip was to Taiwan and that it happened less than 100 days since he took office, show his people and the world where Saint Kitts and Nevis stands when it comes to its “long-standing relationship” with Taiwan. “Nothing can interfere with that,” he said.

Drew and his delegation are scheduled to depart Taiwan on Thursday (Nov. 10) after meeting with top Taiwan government officials, including Tsai and Foreign Minister Joseph Wu (吳釗燮).