On September 3 before taking a flight to Palau for the 1st Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit, President Chen Shui-bian said the trip is a visit to forge a comprehensive cooperation with Taiwan's South Pacific allies--Palau, Solomon Islands, Marshall Islands, Kiribati, Tuvalu, and Nauru.
Relating Taiwan's indigenous people to the peoples of its six South Pacific allies, who share a common Austronesian origin, President Chen especially invited three legislators with Austronesian lineage, legislators Chen Ying, Tseng Hua-te and Lin Cheng-er respectively representing the DPP, KMT and PFP, Taiwan's three major political parties, to come with him.
President Chen also noted that taking Air Force One to conduct the state visit is of great significance since Air Force One strongly demonstrates Taiwan's sovereignty.
"It is a small step for me, but one giant leap for the head of state diplomacy," said President Chen. "Taiwan's status as a sovereign state is an undeniable fact that we should not forgo any chance to display it."
The visit that has been planned for more than half a year also makes a landmark for Taiwan's long-term cooperation and friendship with its South Pacific allies.
Hosted by Palau in its capital, Koror city, the summit will cover a range of critical issues such as medicine and health, agricultural and fishery cooperation, alternative energy, economic and trade partnership, tourism, law enforement cooperation, and digital government.
After visiting Palau, President Chen will fly to Nauru, the second leg of his current trip, and the U.S. territory of Guam for a transit stop before his return to Taipei on September 6.