President Ma Ying-jeou met with Mr. Mlib Tmetuchl, President of the Senate of the Republic of Palau, and Mr. Noah Idechong, Speaker of Palau's House of Delegates, at the Presidential Office on the morning of June 24. The president, on behalf of the government, extended a cordial welcome to the guests on their visit to Taiwan.
President Ma remarked that Palau and the ROC have maintained formal diplomatic relations for 10 years and enjoy a solid alliance. The two engage in long-term technical interaction and cooperation, he said. In addition, starting on June 16 China Airlines replaced its charter flights to Palau with regularly scheduled flights. The president said he is confident that this will provide greater convenience to tourists from Taiwan traveling to Palau, adding that the increased tourism will boost interaction and understanding among the people of the two nations.
President Ma commented that Palau has consistently been a staunch ally of the ROC and frequently expresses support for the ROC in the international arena. For instance, Palau's representative to the United Nations (UN) spoke on behalf of Taiwan at the UN General Assembly in September of last year, advocating meaningful participation for the ROC in international organizations. The president said we will remember this gesture. In addition, Palau President Johnson Toribiong served as Palau Ambassador to the ROC for a long time before he was elected president. During his tenure here, he built deep friendships with persons from all sectors, the president said. His tenure as ambassador was unusually successful, which further highlights the deep bond of friendship between the two countries, he said.
The president stressed that the new government has adopted "flexible diplomacy" and "diplomatic truce" policies since taking office. It will no longer engage in cut-throat competition with mainland China in wooing the diplomatic allies of the other, which leads to meaningless friction. Rather, Taiwan will focus its efforts on cooperation projects with its allies. Therefore, the ROC will continue to strengthen cooperation with Palau in the future, and even seek out new opportunities to cooperate and share our developmental experience and resources, he said.
The president noted that Senate President Tmetuchl was a baseball player when he was younger and in the past has invited baseball teams from Taiwan to take part in tournaments in Palau. Meanwhile, House of Delegates Speaker Idechong has long been involved in conservation-related affairs, he remarked. In 2007, he was named a "Hero for the Planet" by Time magazine. He has a wealth of experience in environmental protection and ecological issues, and is a recognized figure in this field around the world. The president said he is confident that the two nations can engage in even more in-depth cooperation in related fields in the future.