President Lai confers decoration on Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman  

On the afternoon of February 25, President Lai Ching-te conferred the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon upon Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Ambassador Andrea Clare Bowman in recognition of her outstanding contributions to deepening diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines and helping Taiwan expand its international connections. In remarks, President Lai stated that our two countries have supported each other and continued to make progress amidst various challenges. The president expressed hope to keep building on the solid foundations established by Ambassador Bowman, further strengthening bilateral cooperation, improving the well-being of our peoples, and making greater contributions to the peace and prosperity of the world.

A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:

In conferring the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon upon Ambassador Bowman today, I sincerely thank her on behalf of the Taiwanese people for her outstanding contributions to deepening diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. In 2019, Ambassador Bowman presented her credentials and became her country’s first ambassador to Taiwan. At the same time, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines established its first permanent embassy in Asia. In addition to setting an important milestone in our bilateral relations, this also laid a solid bedrock for lasting cooperation between our countries.

Thanks to Ambassador Bowman’s efforts over the past six years, bilateral exchanges have continued to deepen. Mutual visits of high-level officials, trade and investment ties, and cooperation in such areas as infrastructure, agriculture, public health, and information and communications technology have all been fruitful. Our countries have also expanded interactions in women’s empowerment, youth education, culture, and sports, further strengthening the friendship between our peoples.

I would like to thank Ambassador Bowman for serving as the dean of the Diplomatic Corps for over three years. Together with us, Ambassador Bowman has witnessed many important events and moments in Taiwan’s development. And in coordination with other ambassadors and representatives, she has worked with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) to jointly promote numerous exchange programs. I would also like to recognize Ambassador Bowman for her dedication to diplomacy through sincere efforts, which have helped Taiwan expand its international connections and deepen its partnerships around the world.

I would like to thank the government of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines for its longstanding high regard and support for Taiwan. At the United Nations General Assembly, the World Health Organization, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and other international fora, the Vincentian government has always passionately spoken up for Taiwan and strongly supported our international participation. Your government’s unshakeable belief in the universal values of democracy, freedom, and respect for human rights has enabled our two countries to support each other and continue to make progress amidst various challenges.

Looking ahead, we expect that Taiwan and Saint Vincent and the Grenadines will keep building on the solid foundations established by Ambassador Bowman, further strengthening cooperation, improving the well-being of our peoples, and making greater contributions to the peace and prosperity of the world. In closing, I once again thank Ambassador Bowman for her hard work and contributions during her tenure in Taiwan. Our doors are always open to you. Please come back anytime to see your old friends. I wish you all the best in your future endeavors.

Ambassador Bowman then delivered remarks, first expressing her honor of receiving the Order of Brilliant Star with Grand Cordon on behalf of the government and people of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines. Six years and six months ago, she said, she was tasked with the major responsibility of leading the establishment of the Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines in Taiwan. She then thanked the number of persons present who helped to execute the mission. The ambassador called it a labor of love and patriotism that resulted in the concretization of what they have come to regard as their legitimate home-away-from-home. Today, she emphasized, their embassy is still their country’s first and only embassy in Asia, and they are proud that it has enabled her non-resident ambassadorial accreditation to Japan and the Republic of Korea.

Ambassador Bowman stated that Taiwan, a beautiful, democratic country, has hosted their embassy since August 8, 2019, with dignity and efficiency. She recognized MOFA for graciously facilitating their outreach to, and support of, the Vincentian community in Taiwan, which now numbers 182, further noting that MOFA has also facilitated their liaisons with every aspect of Taiwanese society. This synergy of Vincentian and Taiwanese vision and bonding, she said, has directly enhanced the livelihoods of Vincentians and Taiwanese here in Taiwan and those abroad. She stressed that Vincentians and Taiwanese in Saint Vincent and the Grenadines experience the efficacy and goodwill of this friendship on a daily basis. 

Ambassador Bowman said that there is no foreign policy that is more impactful than that which first establishes an empathetic and respectful relationship between the people of the two allied nations. She then asserted that their embassy has had the privilege of laying the basis for such an effective alliance thanks to the embrace of the government and people of the Republic of China (Taiwan). Today, she said, as she bids farewell to her beloved home-away-from-home, she is grateful for the nearly 45 years of unbroken diplomatic relations which they cherish. She also expressed her gratitude for the honor of serving as the dean of the Diplomatic Corps since October 2022, adding that the corps symbolizes and represents the sovereignty of Taiwan, a sovereignty which must be protected, not just for Taiwanese, but for all small-island developing states in the increasingly fraught global space.

Also in attendance at the ceremony were Saint Lucia Ambassador Robert Kennedy Lewis and his wife, former Saint Christopher and Nevis Ambassador Jasmine Elise Huggins, and Minister Counsellor of the Embassy of Saint Vincent and the Grenadines Elroy Wilson and his wife.