Friends for over 40 Years

“Three migratory birds from Taiwan fly to St. Vincent and the Grenadines to visit the country’s national bird, the St. Vincent parrot. He plays host to them, taking his Taiwanese friends to visit the beautiful beaches, volcanoes, and waterfalls of St. Vincent, to taste the national delicacy of breadfruit and the local cuisine, and to attend the Vincy Mas carnival.” Andrea Bowman, the ambassador to Taiwan of St. Vincent and the Grenadines (SVG), summarizes the content of Global Wings: Flying to St. Vincent & the Grenadines, an illustrated book that succinctly sums up the special features of SVG and its links with Taiwan.

Pearls of the Caribbean

SVG is located in the eastern Caribbean Sea, and comprises 32 small islands and cays including St. Vincent and the Grenadine Islands. Although it is a small country with only 110,000 citizens, in 2020–2021 it served as a non-permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.

After SVG gained its independence from Britain in 1979, it established formal diplomatic relations with Taiwan in 1981 and founded an embassy in Taipei in 2019. This is the country’s first and only embassy in Asia. H.E. Andrea Bowman was named its first ambassador to Taiwan.

The Embassy of St. Vincent and the Grenadines in the Republic of China (Taiwan) formally opened two months after Bowman’s arrival. In 2021, the General Chamber of Commerce of the Republic of China presented Bowman and the embassy with a medal for outstanding contributions to promoting bilateral trade and economic relations between the two countries. Bowman felt all the more honored considering that the embassy had only been in operation for two years at that point and was still very “young.”

A reading room at the embassy makes a variety of English-language reading materials available to people in Taiwan, including novels and illustrated books published

in SVG.

SVG donated selected English-language reading materials to Taiwan’s National Central Library and arranged for students from Taipei’s Yong-An Elementary School to do a reading from the illustrated book Flippity Floppity Wing. (courtesy of the SVG embassy in Taiwan)

Traveling throughout Taiwan

Bowman, who was a teacher for nearly 40 years and a headmistress for 13 years in the SVG educational community, has been stationed in Taiwan for four years now. She has spent much of this time getting to know Taiwanese society: She has already visited all six of Taiwan’s special municipalities and 13 of its 15 other cities and counties.

She is acutely aware that although the two countries have been diplomatic allies for more than 40 years, many Taiwanese don’t know anything about SVG or have never even heard of it. This is why she considers interactions with the people of Taiwan to be such an important task.

“Although we only have a population of 110,000, the people of St. Vincent and the Grenadines are very familiar with Taiwan.” Pointing to a poster hanging on the wall of her office, Bowman notes that it won first prize in a 2021 competition to design a poster commemorating the 40th anniversary of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and SVG. The winners were two Vincentian girls aged 19 and 21 years old.

“Neither of them has ever been to Taiwan, but they know a lot about this island and can be said to have grown up side by side with Taiwan,” stresses Bowman.

What does she mean by “growing up side by side with Taiwan”? Bowman shares the following story: In 1998 the government of Taiwan began providing US$100,000 per year in scholarships and grants for students from schools at all levels in SVG. As the head of a girls’ school, she helped students to access these funds. Moreover, in 2017 Taiwan increased the amount to US$200,000.

Bowman declares: “We all know the importance of edu­cation. Just think, St. Vincent and the Grenadines has a population of only 110,000, and over the last ten-plus years an extra­ordinary number of students have benefited from scholar­ships and grants given by Taiwan. You can just imagine the important impact of this continuous assistance.”

Ambassador Bowman uses her free time to visit parks and admire the flowers.

Friendship even in times of trouble

SVG values its friendship with Taiwan highly. It always speaks out on Taiwan’s behalf in major international organizations like the United Nations and the World Health Organization.

Bowman, who also serves as dean of the foreign diplomatic corps in Taiwan, states: “Each country which is able to set up an embassy in Taiwan does so because it respects Taiwan’s sovereignty. All the ambassadors here hope to speak out on behalf of Taiwan to make it possible for Taiwan to be seen and understood by the world, and we hope that even more countries will recognize Taiwan.”

In her free time Bowman enjoys going up to Chinese Culture University on Yangmingshan to look out over the Taipei Basin or strolling through a park located near the embassy. During such activities she makes a point of wearing sportswear with the Vincentian flag emblazoned on it. She says that this outfit was part of a donation of NT$500,000 in sportswear made to students in SVG by the Sheico Group, based in Yilan County. Moreover, in 2021 Sheico donated 150 tablet computers to schoolchildren who were unable to attend classes following a volcanic eruption, so that they could engage in distance learning.

In 2021 there was a series of severe eruptions of the La Soufrière volcano on St. Vincent. “Keeping in mind that there are only 32 small islands and cays in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, there were 32 volcanic eruptions in 2021,” says Bowman with a choke in her voice that reveals her concern for her homeland.

It is said that a friend in need is a friend indeed. Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs commissioned the International Cooperation and Development Fund (TaiwanICDF) to implement a program to assist the economic empowerment of women in Latin America and the Caribbean in the post-pandemic period. This is Taiwan’s first ever regional foreign assistance program built around women’s rights.

Many people’s homes were completely destroyed during the volcanic eruptions. The TaiwanICDF program provides funding to help women found microbusinesses, making it extremely welcome in this time of dire need.

Breadfruit and lychees

Speaking of her homeland, the thing that Bowman misses the most is breadfruit. It is widely eaten in SVG, usually steamed, deep-fried, or made into soup, and can be said to be a national delicacy. At the same time this plant is an important part of the country’s “green legacy” in terms of forest reserves. It is especially tasty when baked or roasted. SVG students studying in Taiwan have tried without success to find a substitute product with a similar taste.

Luckily for Bowman, who loves fruit, she can find many fruits in Taiwan that are the same as those available in SVG, including bananas, mangoes, and guavas. There is also her favorite, the lychee, which is not grown in her homeland. She adds: “There used to be no dragon fruit in St. Vincent and the Grenadines, but there is now thanks to agricultural technical assistance from Taiwan.”

Bowman reveals that in Taiwan she can buy her favorite drink, almond milk, as well as the French preserves that she enjoys.

The beauty of 32 islands and cays

Every year the SVG embassy takes part in the Taipei International Travel Fair, and Bowman hopes that more Taiwanese can visit her country. She says with a laugh: “St.Vincent and the Grenadines is made up of 32 islands and cays, and when you visit there, there happen to be exactly 32 must-do activities.” She particularly recommends the Vincy Mas carnival, held for ten days each June and July, when people dress up in colorful costumes decorated with feathers and dance and celebrate in the streets—it is St. Vincent’s most representative cultural event.

Taiwanese can also visit St. Vincent and the Grenadines to experience National Heroes’ Day on March 14 or Independence Day on October 27, when local people celebrate with dancing, picnics, and barbeques. Bowman also encourages visitors to attend the Christmas Nine Mornings Festival, which is unique to SVG. After all, enjoying a special day with friends always multiplies the shared happiness many times over.

Diving wear manufacturer Sheico donated 150 tablet computers to facilitate distance learning for schoolchildren in SVG who were unable to attend class after a series of volcanic eruptions. (courtesy of the SVG embassy in Taiwan)