President Ma Ying-jeou met with Republic of Kiribati President Anote Tong and Mrs. Tong at the Presidential Office on the morning of June 7. The president extended a cordial welcome to President and Mrs. Tong on behalf of the government and people of the ROC, and expressed his support for the resolute alliance and cooperative relationship between the two countries.
President Ma remarked that he visited Kiribati in late March and the delegation from Taiwan received a warm welcome during their stay, which he said he will always remember. The alliance between the two countries has been quite stable since diplomatic ties were established in 2003, he said. Bilateral cooperation has made progress on many fronts, he pointed out, particularly in aquaculture, medicine, IT hardware, infrastructure, and environmental protection. The president said that the credit for this goes to the wisdom displayed by President Tong in deciding to forge ties with the ROC.
The president specially expressed his appreciation to Kiribati for speaking on behalf of Taiwan on many occasions in international venues, supporting the ROC's participation in international organizations and activities, and enabling the international community to understand the important contributions made by the ROC. The president noted that after his inauguration two years ago, he embarked on a mission to improve cross-strait relations and pursue regional peace and stability. Key pillars of this initiative were the policies of "flexible diplomacy" and a "diplomatic truce." Consequently, the ROC's relations and cooperation with its allies are moving forward steadily, and the ROC is able to devote more resources to assist its allies. The path taken by the ROC has won wide support and applause from the international community, he said.
President Ma said that the ROC government embraces the principles of "proper goals, legal processes, and effective administration" in carrying out foreign aid projects. Besides winning the praise of the international community, the people of Taiwan also support this stance. He said the ROC is willing to assist Kiribati in completing construction on an international airport, helping to better link that country with the rest of the world. In addition, the ROC intends to expand a milkfish aquaculture project in Kiribati, enabling Kiribati to become a regional center for the production of milkfish, he said.
The president said he hopes that the youth exchange program introduced by the ROC Ministry of Foreign Affairs last year will continue to be carried out. In addition, the government this year will increase the number of scholarships made available to foreign students and will also plan more comprehensive curriculums in English, he said. President Ma said the ROC welcomes Kiribati to encourage an even greater number of outstanding students to come to Taiwan to study or take part in short-term exchanges.
President Ma stressed that even as Taiwan and mainland China improve relations, the ROC will continue to strengthen its ties with Kiribati. Meanwhile, the ROC does not oppose Kiribati developing unofficial relations with mainland China, he said. The president noted that fisheries firms from mainland China are planning to engage in cooperative investment in Kiribati. He said he hopes that related cooperation projects will be carried out within the framework of unofficial ties. President Ma lastly reiterated that the ROC and Kiribati have a stable alliance and that he hopes relations between the two countries will continue to develop and move forward.
President and Mrs. Tong led the delegation from Kiribati to the Presidential Office in the morning to meet with President Ma. Included in the delegation was Cabinet Secretary Taam Biribo, Foreign Affairs Secretary Tessie Lambourne, Deputy Finance and Economic Development Minister Atanteora Beiatau, and Director of Fisheries Kintoba Tearo. Also attending the meeting were ROC Vice President Vincent C. Siew, Presidential Secretary-General Liouyi Liao, and National Security Council Secretary-General Hu Wei-jen, along with Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang.