Vice President Annette Lu completed her two day visit to the Marshall Islands at 6:00 a.m. on January 31 (2:00 a.m. January 31 Taipei time) and headed to the Republic of Nauru. The vice president arrived at Nauru's international airport at 7:50 a.m. (3:50 a.m. January 31 Taipei time).
Shortly after arriving in Nauru, the vice president and her delegation went to the government administration building to attend ceremonies marking the 40th anniversary of independence for the island nation. Nauru President Marcus Stephen invited Vice President Lu to join him in reviewing the police honor guard. Upon the conclusion of that event, participants in the ceremony sang songs in honor of Nauru. President Stephen also delivered a speech that proclaimed his determination to achieve national development for Nauru. Nauru's Secretary General Camilla Solomon also recited an Independence Day message. The celebration was capped off by performances and a parade.
At noon, Vice President Lu held a luncheon attended by President Stephen and Mrs. Stephen, Parliament Speaker Riddel Akua and Former President Ludwig Scotty. Vice President Lu noted that Nauru today is celebrating 40 years of independence. The word "independence" is an extremely special word for the people of Taiwan, she said. She said that both countries are island nations and that while Nauru was allowed to become independent after World War II, Taiwan was not allowed to do so since it neighbored China which has consistently deemed Taiwan as a part of it. The vice president said Nauru is fortunate not to have such as neighbor.
Vice President Lu also announced that President and Mrs. Stephen have accepted an invitation to visit Taiwan in the near future. She said she is delighted that she has been able to fulfill the mission presented to her by President Chen Shui-bian in providing invitations to Marshall Islands President Litokwa Tomeing and Nauru President Stephen to visit Taiwan in the near future, and that both leaders have agreed to do so.
In the afternoon, the vice president went to Buada to inspect the Taiwan Technical Mission in Nauru. Nauru, which is comprised mainly of coral reef and phosphorus mines, does not have fertile soil. Nonetheless, the achievements of the agricultural mission deeply impressed the vice president and members of her delegation. The vice president then toured a phosphorus mining region and an abandoned mine. She said she was amazed at the stone forest scenery in an area that is no longer mined.
The vice president also had an opportunity to chat with members of the traveling press corps. She said that the Marshall Islands, Nauru, the Solomon Islands and Palau were all occupied by Japan during World War II. American forces then pushed back the Japanese, capturing these islands. The United Nations was established in 1945 after the end of the war. She said that a fundamental spirit of the UN Charter focuses on sovereignty issues regarding lands that were occupied by Allied forces upon the defeat or retreat of enemy nations. Sovereignty for areas that had been occupied by enemy forces could be achieved upon completing three steps: First was that the territory would be initially under the custodianship of the United Nations; Second was that the people of that territory would determine their future status; Third was that the people of these territories more often than not voted in favor of independence. The vice president said that Taiwan became a Japanese colony prior to World War I and that Japan was one of three powers that instigated World War II. After the end of the war, if Taiwan was treated in the same manner as the countries she has visited on this trip, it should also have been put under UN custodianship, after which a vote would be held among the people to enable them to determine their future. Vice President Lu believes Taiwan has long been sovereign. However, she questioned, why to this day is this issue still so complicated for the 23 million people of Taiwan? She said that some people believe that the discussion of independence is tantamount to heresy, adding that this issue is misplaced from an historical perspective. She said the people of Taiwan should ponder these issues, especially at this moment when Nauru is celebrating its 40th anniversary of independence.
In the evening, Vice President Lu attended a state dinner and expressed her gratitude to Nauru for its staunch support for Taiwan in the international community and for speaking on behalf of Taiwan at the United Nations. The vice president also shared with other guests at the banquet good news that a Taiwan fishing boat had rescued three Nauru fishermen that were adrift at sea. The three have been taken to the Marshall Islands and will take her chartered aircraft to return to Nauru on February 1.