Taiwan has donated US$100,000 to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to help the Caribbean country strengthen its Ebola prevention measures.
Taiwan’s ambassador to St. Vincent and the Grenadines, Ger Bau-shuan, presented the donation to Prime Minister Ralph E. Gonsalves at the Prime Minister’s office on Tuesday.
Gonsalves thanked Taiwan for the donation, saying that the appearance of Ebola in the US has presented nearby St. Vincent with a threat to both public health and national security. Gonsalves said that initially, St. Vincent and the Grenadines had no defense against Ebola.
He also said that with St. Vincent’s peak tourist season at hand, an outbreak of Ebola in the Caribbean island country could have disastrous consequences for the tourism-centered local economy.
Gonsalves said that St. Vincent, one of Taiwan’s diplomatic allies in the Caribbean, will continue to speak out for Taiwan in the international community. He said that St. Vincent will continue pushing to secure Taiwan’s right to participate in international organizations such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change.
Meanwhile, Ger thanked St. Vincent for its continued support of Taiwan. She also said that Taiwan is committed to providing humanitarian aid where and when it is needed, and is happy to help when the need arises.