Taiwan will continue to offer Kiribati students with scholarships to study in Taiwan, President Chen Shui-bian said on May 21 to President Anote Tong of the Republic of Kiribati, who, in reciprocation, said that Kiribati will also continue to speak up for Taiwan on international occasions.
Taiwan and the Republic of Kiribati established diplomatic ties in 2003, and since then Taiwan has assisted its ally in developing agricultural and fishery industries. In 2005, Taiwan successfully helped solve a transnational dispute involving Kiribati and Tuvalu workers who overstayed in the Republic of Nauru.
This was President Tong's second visit to Taiwan, following the first one in 2004. His visit to the Office of the President was accompanied by Taiwan's Secretary-General to the President Mark Chen and Foreign Minister James Huang.