published: Monday | February 5, 2007

Few international blunders could match the embarrassing occurrence in Grenada, where the Government in their endeavour to thank the Chinese for donating their world-cup state-of-the-art new National Stadium, played the national anthem of Taiwan.

The Chinese Ambassador, Qian Hongshan, and many blue-uniformed Chinese labourers who built the new US$40 million Queen's Park stadium as a gift from Beijing, were in attendance as the Royal Grenada Police Force Band rendered the incorrect anthem inside the 20,000-seat venue on Saturday Feb 3, 2007.

In an effort to redeem the situation, the correct anthem was played at the end of the proceedings and Grenada Prime Minister Keith Mitchell has pledged an investigation into how the horrible mix-up could have occurred.  “On behalf of the government and people of this happy country, a country that recognise the warmth of its friends and respects its friends, I deeply apologise to the Chinese ambassador and the entire Chinese people and the delegation.”

Since China and Taiwan split in 1949 amid a civil war, Beijing has claimed that Taiwan is a renegade province and should not have diplomatic ties with other countries.

"I am very saddened," Mitchell told the workers and Chinese Embassy staff from Grenada and neighbouring Trinidad and Tobago. "This unfortunate error breaks my heart."

Grenada's New National Party switched diplomatic allegiance from Taiwan to China in 2005, after the mainland bankrolled major works projects, a move that was sharply criticised by the main opposition party, the National Democratic Congress.

Among the many small island nations in the Caribbean, the Asian rivals have long used economic investment to win votes at the United Nations.

China paid for the reconstruction of Grenada's stadium, which was destroyed by Hurricane Ivan in 2004, and some 500 Chinese workers helped rebuild the venue in time to host Cricket World Cup matches in April.

With all gate receipts going to host governments, Grenada stands to collect substantial revenue from the first World Cup in the Caribbean as it moves to revive a tourist industry devastated by hurricanes in 2004 and 2005.

But according to a story published yesterday in national newspaper Grenada Today, Taiwan has sued the Mitchell administration for EC$59 million owed to Taiwan for loans contracted over a 10-year period.

The Export-Import Bank of Taiwan brought the court action against the Grenada government in a New York court for four loans for which St. George's has defaulted on payments. The funds were to facilitate, among other major infrastructural projects, construction of the Queen's Park stadium.