President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of May 19 with delegations from three of the ROC's diplomatic allies in the South Pacific – the Republic of Kiribati, the Republic of the Marshall Islands, and the Republic of Nauru – that came to the Presidential Office to congratulate him as he prepared to begin a second term in office. The delegations were in Taiwan to take part in the inauguration ceremonies for the 13th-term president and vice president of the ROC. Also attending the meetings were Vice President-elect Wu Den-yih and Minister of Foreign Affairs Timothy Chin-tien Yang (楊進添).
During his meeting with the Republic of Kiribati's President Anote Tong and Mrs. Tong, President Ma congratulated his counterpart for winning election to another term in January of this year, a demonstration of the strong public support that President Tong enjoys in Kiribati. President Ma stressed his confidence that continued work will be carried out to improve that nation's infrastructure under President Tong's leadership over the next four years. He also expressed his confidence that President Tong's efforts to fight the effects of global warming upon his island nation, and his work to ensure wellbeing for his nation's people, will make Kiribati a model nation in the South Pacific.
Recalling his visit to Kiribati in March 2010, President Ma said that the friendliness of the local people and the beauty of that nation left a deep impression on him. He noted that this marks President Tong's ninth visit to Taiwan, which highlights the deep friendship and close bond between the two countries. Since the establishment of diplomatic relations, the two countries have maintained close cooperation in the fields of agriculture, aquaculture, medical care, information hardware, and infrastructure, he pointed out. At the same time, Kiribati has spoken up in many international venues on behalf of the ROC, expressing its support for Taiwan's participation in international organizations. President Ma expressed his gratitude for these gestures and indicated his hopes that in the future the two countries will continue to strengthen cooperation and further solidify their friendship and alliance.
Accompanying President and Mrs. Tong to the meeting with President Ma were Secretary to the Cabinet Teekoa Iuta and Deputy Secretary of Foreign Affairs & Immigration Akka Rimon.
After the conclusion of that meeting, President Ma met with Republic of the Marshall Islands President Christopher J. Loeak and Mrs. Loeak, and commented that the ROC last year assisted the Marshall Islands capital of Majuro in erecting 115 solar-powered street lamps to take advantage of its abundant solar power resources. The ROC, he added, is also working to help the Marshall Islands reduce disparities between its main islands and its outer islands. This year, he said, the ROC is planning to establish 20 "solar-powered computer centers" in outlying islands there.
President Ma noted that President Loeak has placed considerable emphasis on education in his nation since taking office, and regards himself as the "education president." President Ma stated that in the future, the ROC and the Marshall Islands will continue to strengthen cooperation in the areas of agriculture and fisheries, medical care and hygiene, clean energy, infrastructure, and vocational training. At the same time, as long as Taiwan's budget permits, the ROC intends to continue to provide scholarships and establish specialized training workshops for students from the Marshall Islands. This, he said, will afford students from that nation the opportunity to come to Taiwan and learn specialized skills that they can then take back home, thereby providing the talent needed to support development in the Marshall Islands.
In addition to Marshall Islands President Loeak and Mrs. Loeak, present in the delegation were Foreign and Trade Minister Phillip H. Muller and Mrs. Muller, and Marshall Islands Ambassador to the ROC Phillip K. Kabua and Mrs. Kabua.
Shortly thereafter, President Ma met with Republic of Nauru President Sprent Dabwido and Mrs. Dabwido. President and Mrs. Dabwido were escorted to the Presidential Office by ROC Ambassador to Nauru Timothy T. Y. Hsiang (項恬毅) to meet the president.
President Ma stated that he proposed the "360 Project" for Nauru when he visited that nation in 2010. The idea behind the project is that, with the assistance of Taiwan's agricultural technology mission to Nauru that over a three-year period, six types of agricultural crops would be promoted there to enable self-sufficiency and thereby reduce imports of these items to zero. The president said the project is expected to achieve that goal by the end of this year, adding that in the future should Nauru have the need, the ROC will be pleased to provide assistance to expand this initiative to other agricultural products.
The president also mentioned that Nauru has plentiful solar power resources. Consequently, the ROC is presently promoting a "Low-Carbon Island Project" in Nauru to help the nation convert to the use of energy-saving light bulbs. In addition, a solar power system has been installed in the government's administrative building, helping to reduce the spending by Nauru on the import of energy, he said.
Lastly, President Ma emphasized that in an effort to strengthen bilateral cooperation in the area of medical care, Taiwan's Taichung Veterans General Hospital starting this year is dispatching one physician in the field of obstetrics and gynecology to serve in Nauru and to help train medical personnel there. The president expressed his confidence that this will set the foundation for a considerable broadening of cooperation in health care with Nauru in the future.
Also in President and Mrs. Dabwido's party were Member of Parliament Aloysius Amwano and Nauru Ambassador to the ROC Ludwig Dowong Keke and Mrs. Keke.