Castries, St Lucia — The announcement on Monday by the government of Saint Lucia that it had established a full-fledged embassy in Taiwan has been described by the Lucian People’s Movement (LPM) as not only baffling from a foreign policy perspective but also raises a number of serious questions concerning the illusionary bubble within which the Saint Lucia Labour Party government has operated over the last three and a half years.
“Therefore, in light of the fact that Taiwan is not universally recognised as a sovereign state and has yet to settle its dispute with China over its political status, the LPM calls upon the government of Saint Lucia to clarify whether its decision to open an embassy in Taiwan amounts to a formal recognition or endorsement of Taiwan,” LPM leader Therold Prudent said.
LPM stated further that, given the unsettled nature of Taiwan’s political status, coupled with the own financial constraints at home, it would have been more sensible if the government of Saint Lucia had opted instead to appoint a cultural and economic representative in Taiwan, as opposed to the more contentious and financially burdensome route of establishing an embassy there at this time.
“In light of this startling development, which now requires our nation to divert scarce resources towards maintaining yet another embassy abroad, the LPM calls upon the government of Saint Lucia to provide a public statement detailing the total cost of the operation and whether it has approached the government of Taiwan for financial assistance in this regard,” Prudent concluded.