Taiwan foreign minister meets Saint Lucia PM, vows to strengthen ties

Taipei. Oct. 30 (CNA) Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) has met with Saint Lucian Prime Minister Philip J. Pierre and other senior officials during his latest stop on his trip to the Caribbean and Central America, according to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA).

After arriving in Saint Lucia on Monday morning (local time), Lin and his delegation were greeted by Senior Minister Stephenson King at the airport, MOFA said in a press release.

Lin then met with Pierre, and the two sides reaffirmed their joint commitment to enhancing bilateral relations and fostering economic prosperity, statements issued separately by the two governments indicated.

Lin and his delegation also joined Pierre, Health Minister Moses Baptiste, and other Cabinet members to launch the i-Screen System app.

This app, developed through technical cooperation and knowledge sharing with Taiwan's Cathay General Hospital, is aimed at enhancing the Saint Lucian Ministry of Health's data collection capabilities, making health screenings more efficient and accessible, according to the Saint Lucian government's statement.

In addition, Lin met with the heads of the two houses of the Saint Lucian parliament, Senate Speaker Alvina Reynolds, and House of Assembly Speaker Claudius Francis, who attended Taiwan's Oct. 10 National Day celebrations earlier this month in Taipei.

Accompanied by Ambassador Peter Chen (陳家彥), Lin also attended a Taiwan-Saint Lucia Fair with Saint Lucia's Agriculture Minister Alfred Prospere to see how a Taiwanese government-funded project is helping farmers get their produce to market.

Saint Lucia is Lin's third stop on his trip to five countries in Central America and the Caribbean, where six of the 12 formal diplomatic allies of the Republic of China (Taiwan's official name) are located.

Making first trip as foreign minister, Lin left Taiwan on Oct. 23 and is scheduled to return on Nov. 2.

He has already made stops in Guatemala and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and will visit Belize and St. Kitts and Nevis in the coming days before heading back to Taipei.

The only formal ally in the region Lin is not visiting on this trip is Haiti, given that country's recent instability.

In each country on the trip, Lin is holding bilateral talks with leaders and high-ranking officials, and check on the results of cooperative projects, according to MOFA.