Vice President Annette Lu today spent her second day in the Marshall Islands, one of Taiwan's diplomatic allies in the Pacific region. At 10:00 a.m. (6:30 a.m. January 30 Taipei time), the vice president attended a reception hosted by women leaders from the Marshall Islands. At the beginning of the reception, the local women sang a local folk song to welcome the vice president. The vice president then made the rounds, greeting each one of the local participants. The first lady of the Marshall Islands, Arleen Tomeing, then made remarks and extended a formal welcome to Vice President Lu.
In the afternoon, Vice President Lu was accompanied by Marshall Islands Foreign Minister Tony de Brum on a boat to go to Anil island for snorkeling and to get a first-hand experience of the beautiful coral reef ecosystem in the South Pacific. The chief of Anil island, Charles Domnick, hosted a luncheon on the island made of local foods to welcome the vice president and members of her delegation.
In the evening, Vice President Lu hosted a banquet at the International Conference Center for members of her delegation, Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing and members of his government. Making remarks to the gathering, the vice president said that going snorkeling earlier in the day and seeing the beauty in the water enabled her to sense the significance of this trip and understand that the people of the Marshall Islands are philosophers of life. In addition, she said the snorkeling experience made her further realize the impact on and challenges to man caused by global warming. Vice President Lu believes that Pacific island nations must band together and call for the United Nations to create a disaster prevention fund for the region.
The vice president also mentioned that the people of Taiwan have spent 50 years in developing five soft powers, namely human rights, democracy, peace, compassion and high technology. She said that Taiwan wants to share these five soft powers with the Marshall Islands, one of its best friends. Vice President Lu said President Chen Shui-bian specially organized the Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit to help pave the way to provide this assistance. The Third Taiwan-Pacific Allies Summit will be held in Kaohsiung. She said Marshall Islands President Tomeing and Mrs. Tomeing will be invited and that she hopes they will attend. The vice president also welcomed news that President Tomeing has already arranged to visit Taiwan in the near future. With this, the vice president said, she has fulfilled the mission presented to her by President Chen before her departure.
The banquet featured exhilarating performances from persons attending from both nations. A youth group from the Marshall Islands performed traditional-inspired dances, delighting the guests. Meanwhile, members of Vice President Lu's delegation also performed songs and dances, leaving a deep impression on the guests at the banquet. Prior to the end of the event, the guests from the Marshall Islands sang a traditional folk song, marking a perfect ending to a wonderful evening.