The new Ambassador of the Republic of Palau to the ROC, Jackson M. Henry, presented his credentials to President Ma Ying-jeou on the morning of July 24.
The ceremony was held at 11:00 a.m. at the Presidential Building. Ambassador Henry was escorted by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs' Acting Director of Protocol Liu Der-li in presenting his credentials to the president. Secretary-General to the President Chan Chuen-po and Minister of Foreign Affairs Francisco H. L. Ou also witnessed the ceremony.
After the conclusion of the formalities, President Ma and Ambassador Henry held discussions. The president, on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, expressed a cordial welcome to Ambassador Henry on his arrival in Taiwan to begin his new assignment. The president also said he hopes the two can engage in cooperation in the future, thereby jointly promoting friendly relations between the two countries.
President Ma remarked that the ROC and Palau established formal diplomatic relations 10 years ago. Over the past decade, he said, the bilateral alliance and friendship has developed rapidly. Former Palau Ambassador to the ROC Johnson Toribiong had to leave his position when he was elected as President of Palau. He served in Taiwan for quite a long time and maintained extremely close interaction with the ROC, the president said.
President Ma also commented that of the ROC's 23 diplomatic allies, Palau is geographically the nearest to Taiwan. It is also a favorite destination for tourists from Taiwan, he said, adding that a number of interests from Taiwan have invested in and helped construct hotels and resorts in Palau. Given the downturn in the global economy, Palau had expressed its concern that the twice weekly flights between the two nations operated by a Taiwan airline could be thrown into jeopardy. However, not only are the flights continuing, but the airline is considering doubling the weekly frequency, he said. This is something the government welcomes, the president said.
The president added that he has many friends who have visited Palau and have spoken highly of that nation's beautiful coastline and resorts. President Ma expressed his hope that in the future he will have an opportunity to visit Palau, helping to enhance the alliance between the two countries and strengthen cooperation.