St Kitts and Nevis’ Basseterre and Taiwan’s Kaohsiung signs sister cities agreement
This agreement is designed in a way that it will promote mutual understanding and cooperation across various areas such as education, culture, healthcare, business and technology.
Wednesday, 26th June 2024
St. Kitts and Nevis: In a significant development, Basseterre City in St. Kitts and Nevis and Kaohsiung City in the Republic of China (Taiwan) have signed a major agreement to become sister cities.
This agreement is designed in a way that it will promote mutual understanding and cooperation across various areas such as education, culture, healthcare, business and technology.
According to the information, the signing ceremony was held on Tuesday, June 25, in the city of Kaohsiung during Prime Minister Dr. Terrance Drew and his delegation’s official visit to Taiwan. The signing of this agreement marked a major step forward in strengthening the relationship between the two cities.
Following the signing ceremony, PM Drew remarked that this agreement, with its specially designed cooperative agenda, is evidence of his administration’s commitment to mutual benefit and targeted exchanges.
It comprises of a wide range of areas including the smart city development which is the cornerstone of the sustainable development initiatives and agriculture, healthcare and tourism.
He further emphasised the importance of the agreement in achieving the vision of St. Kitts and Nevis in becoming a Sustainable Island State by the year 2040.
Chi-Mai Chen, Mayor of Kaohsiung City, welcomed the agreement and stated that this sister city collaboration is a major milestone in the shared journey of the Federation and Taiwan towards mutual development.
It is to be noted that the agreement also includes initiatives to improve healthcare in Basseterre through collaborations with the leading medical institutions of Kaohsiung.
It was mentioned by Prime Minister Drew that Joseph N France General Hospital in Basseterre will directly benefit from the collaborative training and artificial intelligence models that have been developed by this initiative.
In addition to this, before the signing of this agreement, PM Drew and members of the St. Kitts and Nevis delegation sat down for brief fruitful discussions with the Mayor of Kaohsiung City, Chi-Mai Chen. The officials used the meeting to enlighten each other about the city of Basseterre and the city of Kaohsiung.
The delegation also visited the Port of Kaohsiung, and during their visit, they were provided with a historical overview of the port.
Kaohsiung Port, situated at the southern extremity of Kaohsiung City, spans six administrative districts. Its extensive hinterland and natural bay have made it Taiwan’s largest port and the thirteenth-largest port in the world.