Hon. Emma Hippolyte, Saint Lucia’s Minister of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs led a delegation to Taiwan on Feb. 25 on invitation from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Taiwan. The visiting delegation called on the Ministry of Economic Affairs and Ministry of Digital Affairs and discussed topics concerning trade and investments. After completing their itinerary in northern Taiwan, the group traveled to Tainan with Ambassador H.E. Robert Kennedy Lewis and his wife. Department of Information and International Relations Director-General Su En-en and Agriculture Bureau Senior Specialist Wu Jun-jie welcomed the guests on behalf of Tainan City Mayor Huang Wei-che. Minister Hippolyte and the delegation visited the Taiwan Lantern Festival displays and the 23rd World Orchid Conference where Taiwan Orchid Growers Association Chairman Huang Wen-Rong and Secretary General Zeng Jun-Bi greeted the guests.
Minister Hippolyte was very interested in how an ancient capital could maintain the city’s youthful vitality while preserving its historical sites and therefore visited many urban revitalization sites. Destinations include the old Shennong Street which has been transformed into a culture and creative hub, the Ten Drum Culture Village (a repurposed old sugar refinery), the Hayashi Department Store (a historical building remodeled into a department store for culture and creative products), and the Blueprint Culture & Creative Park which is a couple of revitalized abandoned dormitories of the Judicial Yuan.
The guests were very impressed by this year’s Orchid Show, especially with the orchids painted with the flag of Saint Lucia. The Minister and Mrs. Ambassador took numerous photos and videos along the way, documenting the beauty of different orchids as they marveled at the maturity of Taiwan’s orchid breeding industry.
Mayor Huang Wei-che expressed that Tainan is honored to see guests from Santa Lucia at two of this year’s(2024) major events: the annual Orchid Show and the Taiwan Lantern Festival, which has returned to Tainan after 16 years. Since the objective of the Minister’s trip to Taiwan this time is to facilitate trade between the two countries, Huang hoped that today’s visit would also bring forth more interactions between Tainan and Saint Lucia and let more Saint Lucia citizens know about Tainan’s urban regeneration projects.
Huang Wei-che also thanked the Saint Lucia Embassy for their support of Tainan’s events, especially their active participation in the city’s Tainan 400 events, and pointed out that Ambassador Robert Kennedy Lewis attended the 2024 International Orchid Show opening ceremony with his wife on February 23 and then accompanied the guests to Tainan only a couple of days later.
Minister Emma Hippolyte of Saint Lucia’s Ministry of Commerce, Manufacturing, Business Development, Cooperatives and Consumer Affairs has served as a member of Congress and this is her second visit to Taiwan. Saint Lucia is one of Taiwan’s four diplomatic allies in the Caribbean region and is home to a UNESCO World Heritage site and numerous diving destinations. Tourism and service are the country’s main industries, followed by manufacturing.