Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of May 18 with a delegation from the Republic of Palau's House of Delegates, and on behalf of the government and people of the ROC extended a cordial welcome to House of Delegates Speaker Noah Idechong, who is leading the delegation to Taiwan.

The president remarked that he received a warm welcome from Palau President Johnson Toribiong during a visit he made to Palau in March of last year, and added that he was deeply impressed by the country's ecological conservation areas, the jellyfish lake, and the friendliness of the people. The president noted that Palau places great importance on the environment and has banned the capture and killing of sharks strictly for their fins. The country has set high standards in the conservation of its marine resources and Speaker Idechong has been involved in conservation work for many years, said the president, pointing out that 11 years ago Speaker Idechong was selected by Time magazine of the United States as one of the Heroes for the Planet, a testament to the ecological conservation work and tourism promotion efforts undertaken by Palau. President Ma stated that Taipei City was placed in the second-highest category in a survey of Asian green cities carried out by the Economist Intelligence Unit, but he said that even though Taiwan has achieved many successes in environmental protection, it still has much to learn from Palau in this respect.

In discussing bilateral cultural and economic ties, President Ma remarked that Palau gifted three national-treasure giant clam shells to Taiwan for display at the 2010 Taipei International Flora Expo. The gift offered the Taiwan public and foreign guests a glimpse of the beauty of Palau. Meanwhile, the president commented that youth ambassadors selected by the ROC's Ministry of Foreign Affairs to participate in a program in Palau, came back to Taiwan singing the praises of Palau. President Ma also remarked that Taiwan has considerable experience in fish farming—besides grouper and milkfish, Taiwan has begun farming yellowfin tuna and achieved some initial success. The president called for the two sides to discuss a cooperation project in fish farming, thereby further enhancing mutual interaction and friendship.

The delegation was led by Speaker Idechong to the Presidential Office. Also attending the meeting was National Security Council Advisor Tung Kuo-yu (董國猷).