BASSETERRE, St. Kitts (Friday 17th July 2026) — New Resident Ambassador of the Republic of China (Taiwan) to St. Kitts and Nevis, His Excellency Edward Ling-Wen Tao, a former journalist, has highlighted the important role of the media in informing the public and strengthening awareness of the longstanding relationship between Taiwan and the Federation.
Ambassador Tao made the remarks during a luncheon hosted for members of the media on Friday 17th July 2026 at the Indian Summer Restaurant in Frigate Bay, where he also introduced members of the Embassy’s staff, including newly assigned Deputy Counselor Ken-Chuan Yang.
Attending the event on behalf of the Labour Spokesman were Journalist and Acting Editor Precious Mills, Production Manager Mitchel Slader and Senior Clerk Vassil Roberts.
Expressing appreciation for the media’s coverage over the past year, Ambassador Tao thanked journalists for their continued efforts in sharing information about Taiwan and its partnership with St. Kitts and Nevis.
“There’s a lot of things that you have done for the past year, publishing the news about Taiwan and St. Kitts and Nevis, and I just want to, on behalf of the embassy, to thank you for all the support,” he said.
Drawing on his own background in journalism, Ambassador Tao said his previous profession has given him a strong appreciation for the work of members of the media.
“At the same time, I want to introduce our colleagues to all our friends from media. Like I said, I used to be a journalist, so I always have a very strong passion for journalism and an attachment towards all the journalists,” he said.
The former journalist shared that he regularly follows local news coverage, noting that he reads reports from various media houses in the Federation.
“I try to read all the news…The real news, the fake news — everything,” he said.
He jokingly added that one of the challenges of following news is identifying misinformation.
“…which is the fun thing. You have to identify the fake news,” Ambassador Tao lightheartedly remarked.
Ambassador Tao said the media has an important role to play in helping the public understand the various areas of cooperation between Taiwan and St. Kitts and Nevis.
He pointed to several initiatives and projects undertaken through the partnership, saying it was important for citizens to be aware of the support Taiwan continues to provide to the Federation.
“We have a lot of interaction with St. Kitts and Nevis. Over the years, we have got so many projects like… E-ID card…and so we need you to educate the public to let them know that Taiwan is always a good friend of St. Kitts and Nevis and we have done a lot of good things for the Federation and we want you to know what are the things that we have done and to make the best use of it.”
He said sharing information about these initiatives forms part of Taiwan’s public diplomacy efforts.
“We don’t deal with only the politicians, but we want the average people to support us and to appreciate or to understand the relationship.”
Ambassador Tao also used the occasion to introduce members of the Embassy team and recognize the contribution of outgoing Press Officer Phillip Hsien-Yu Chung, who is scheduled to return to Taiwan following the completion of his diplomatic assignment.
“I want to thank Philip. He has been our press officer for the past two years. He has done a marvelous job.”
Ambassador Tao praised Philip for his work in managing the Embassy’s Facebook page and maintaining strong relationships with local media practitioners.
“He has been editing our Facebook and so all the good things, he’s done a lot of work. And I know that he also kept a very good relationship with all our friends from the media.”
He explained that diplomatic postings involve rotation and that Philip’s assignment had come to an end.
“He has to go back to Taiwan next week. We are diplomats, we have this rotation, so we stay abroad for a few years and then we need to go back.”
Ambassador Tao also introduced Philip’s successor, Ken, describing him as a senior diplomat with experience in the Caribbean, including a previous assignment in St. Lucia, as well as postings in Washington, D.C. and London.
“Ken is our successor. He’s a very senior diplomat. And he used to serve in St. Lucia almost 20 years ago. So he knows the Caribbean. He used to work in Washington, D.C. and London.”
“In the future, I’m sure Ken will be reaching out to all of you and work together,” he said.
Other members of the Embassy team were also introduced, including officers responsible for areas such as environment and tourism, exchanges and programmes, the Taiwan scholarship initiative, and health cooperation and related projects.
Ambassador Tao highlighted the importance of continued cooperation and engagement between the Embassy and media practitioners.
He encouraged journalists to maintain communication with the Embassy and assured them that assistance would be provided where possible.
“If you need any information from the Embassy, or you want to have a quote or an interview, just let us know. We always try to help,” he said.
Ambassador Tao thanked members of the media for their continued support and invited them to continue building a strong working relationship with the Embassy.
The luncheon provided an opportunity for media representatives and Embassy officials to interact, share ideas and strengthen professional relations.
