Your Excellency President Note of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and Madam Note, Your Excellency President Remengesau of the Republic of Palau and Madam Remengesau, Your Excellency President Scotty of the Republic of Nauru and Madam Scotty, Honorable Prime Minister Sogavare of the Solomon Islands and Madam Sogavare, Honorable Prime Minister Ielemia of Tuvalu and Madam Ielemia, Your Excellency Vice President Onorio of the Republic of Kiribati, Esteemed Ministers and Delegates, Ambassadors, Friends from the Media, Dear People of the Marshall Islands:
Good morning to you all! Yakwei!
It is my honor to be able to visit the Marshall Islands once again to attend the Second Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit at the warm invitation of President Note. First, I want to express my appreciation to President Note for personally receiving me at the Majuro International Airport and inviting me to join the ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the completion of the RMI International Conference Center. It is my privilege to be here at the opening of this beautiful conference center and share in the joy of this happy occasion with leaders of Taiwan's Pacific allies. Let me extend my best wishes for the future of this conference centre.
I want to congratulate the government and people of the Marshall Islands on their new, multifunctional international conference center, and say to all those who participated its preparation, planning, and construction: You have done a great job! Thank you so much!
As we witness the opening of this magnificent conference center today, I believe you, like me, must be very excited for the future, because the completion of the Marshall Islands' first international conference center will provide not only the venue for the Second Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit but also bring further opportunities and prospects for economic development and the progress of the nation.
It is well known that under the capable leadership of President Note and with the efforts of all the people of the Marshall Islands this country has made remarkable progress in improving government efficiency, maintaining economic growth, and creating employment opportunities.
Recently, President Note invited professionals and experts from different fields to establish the Economic Advisory Council with the aim of, through joint effort from the government and people, forming new consensus on economic development and formulating new direction for the nation's future.
All of us can see how committed President Note is. I would like to reassure His Excellency that Taiwan, as the Marshall Islands' most dedicated partner in development, will spare no effort in providing assistance in future projects, because a friend in need is a friend indeed.
What Taiwan has learned from her past development experiences is that, despite the lack of natural resources and the frequency of typhoons, earthquakes, and floods, so long as the people work together in unity and invest in education and basic infrastructure, we can successfully establish a solid foundation for national development out of limited means.
Taiwan was once on the receiving end of foreign aid. Therefore, when we are now able to assist in other countries' developments, our hearts are filled with joy and gratitude for what we have received from other nations in the past. We want to proactively assist and share development experiences with our Pacific allies and make more contributions to the international community, in the hope that, through bilateral or multilateral projects, we can create a richer, more prosperous, and more healthy future.
We will proceed to see the 2007 RMI/Taiwan Trade Show later. The show is jointly organized by our two countries and symbolizes the further enhancement of relations between Taiwan and the Marshall Islands. It testifies to the fact that in terms of economy Taiwan and the Marshall Islands, both Pacific oceanic nations, are complimentary to each other. Together, we can create more win-win and mutually beneficiary opportunities for our countries.
In closing, on behalf of the government and the 23 million people of Taiwan, I would like to wish President Note, first ladies, leaders, delegates, and the people of the Marshall Islands health and happiness. Thank you. Komo Tata!