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1st Prime Minister the Hon. Dr. Kennedy Simmonds led the 1st official delegation from St. Kitts and Nevis to the Republic of China on Taiwan months before gaining Independence in 1983 and formally opening the historic diplomatic relations between St. Kitts and Nevis and the Republic of China on Taiwan, the first diplomatic partner of our new nation. The visionary establishment of diplomatic and other ties with Taiwan can be described as one of the .most significant if not the most significant decision taken by the newly Independent St.Kitts and Nevis as Taiwan has since then contributed more to the development of St.Kitts and Nevis than any other country or entity in the world.The true historic significance of the decision to open relations with the Republic of China on Taiwan is that our country took that decision without the approval of the United Kingdom which at the time, while we were still an Associated State, were responsible by virtue of the Statehood Constitution for our external relations.The United Kingdom withheld approval because they had diplomatic relations with the People’s Republic of China on the Mainland.The SKN delegation included Mr. John Saunders from NACO, and Director of Development Mr. Hugh Heyliger, Hon. Ivor Stevens, Elmo Liburd, Constitutional Adviser Dr. William “Billy” Herbert, Hon. Deputy Premier Michael Powell and then Premier Hon. Kennedy Simmonds, represented our then Government’s determination to pursue our own path to develop our agricultural cooperation in partnering with the Republic of China on Taiwan.