President Ma Ying-jeou separately met with Republic of the Marshall Islands President Jurelang Zedkaia and Republic of Kiribati Vice President Teima Onorio at the Presidential Office on the late afternoon of November 4. The president extended a warm welcome on behalf of the government and people of the ROC to the guests, who have come to Taiwan to attend the opening ceremonies of the 2010 Taipei International Flora Exposition.
During his meeting with Marshall Islands President Zedkaia, the president remarked that he and his counterpart were born on the exact same date in the same year. The two celebrated their 60th birthdays in Taipei in advance last June, the president said, adding that this coincidence makes relations between the two countries all the closer.
President Ma said that on November 5, high-ranking guests from the ROC's allies will attend a pre-opening tour of the expo grounds. He stated that the expo is formally sanctioned by the International Association of Horticultural Producers, and is basically an Olympics for the global horticulture industry. He commented that Taiwan has spent three years preparing for the event and has invited dozens of nations to attend the expo. Besides exhibiting flowers and plants, this important international activity also stresses the need to conserve ecosystems and reduce carbon emissions while developing related technology, with an eye to creating an environment in which man and nature can co-exist in harmony.
Meeting with Kiribati Vice President Onorio, President Ma commented that Ms. Onorio is an outstanding educator who entered politics 12 years ago after receiving her master's degree in the UK. She served a first term as Vice President starting in 2003, serving concurrently as Minister of Education, Youth and Sports, before being re-elected as vice president in 2007 and taking a concurrent position as Minister of Commerce, Industry and Cooperatives. President Ma remarked that Vice President Onorio is both highly learned and very experienced in government. After the ROC and Kiribati established diplomatic relations in 2003, they initiated cooperation in a variety of agriculture, fisheries, infrastructure, and health care projects. In addition, the ROC is also promoting its "Light from Taiwan" project in Kiribati to help local children study in the evening. President Ma pointed out that about 30 students from Kiribati are studying in Taiwan, and this year the ROC dispatched a group of youth ambassadors to spend three weeks in Kiribati, helping to bolster educational and cultural ties between the two countries.
President Ma also expressed his deepest gratitude to the Marshall Islands and Kiribati for speaking on behalf of Taiwan repeatedly and supporting the ROC's meaningful participation in international activities. Lastly, he again welcomed them on their visit to Taiwan to see the beauty of the island.
Marshall Islands President Zedkaia and Kiribati Vice President Onorio were escorted to the Presidential Office in the late afternoon by Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs Ssu-Tsun Shen to meet President Ma. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Tung Kuo-yu.