Minute Alapati Taupo, the new ambassador from Tuvalu to the ROC, presented his credentials to President Ma Ying-jeou at the Presidential Office Building in a ceremony held at 10 a.m. on the morning of March 14. President Ma cordially welcomed Ambassador Taupo to his new position, and called for a continued stable relationship between the two nations as well as further expansion of cooperation.
In remarks, President Ma commented that Ambassador Taupo is a senior official with a wealth of experience. He has served as vice minister in a number of important ministries over the years, and has also acted as the deputy permanent representative from Tuvalu to the United Nations, the president noted.
President Ma remarked that Tuvalu gained its independence in October 1978, and on September 19 of the following year established diplomatic relations with the ROC. The ROC, he said, established an embassy in Tuvalu in December 1998 and subsequently dispatched a permanent charge d'affaires. In 2004, the ROC formally dispatched an ambassador to proactively promote a variety of cooperation projects and improve bilateral relations, he commented.
The president stated the ROC has maintained diplomatic relations with Tuvalu longer than with any other nation in the South Pacific, and bilateral ties have developed rapidly since the ROC stationed a charge d'affaires there. President Ma pointed out that Tuvalu regularly speaks on behalf of the ROC in international venues and supports participation for the ROC in the World Health Organization, the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, the International Civil Aviation Organization, and regional fisheries management organizations. And the ROC, he noted, provides assistance to Tuvalu, including establishing an agricultural technical mission in that nation, implementing the "Light from Taiwan" project there, and engaging in fishing industry cooperation. For instance, Taiwan's Ching Fu Shipbuilding Co., Ltd. and the government of Tuvalu jointly built a large purse seine vessel to develop the fisheries resources in the large exclusive economic zone around Tuvalu, he said. The president commented that the government also provides scholarships to help cultivate talent in Tuvalu and fund vocational training in Taiwan for persons from that nation.
President Ma mentioned that the ROC is the only nation that has established an embassy in Tuvalu, and that Tuvalu is actively preparing to set up an embassy here. In September of last year, Tuvalu's parliament passed a resolution to open an embassy in the ROC, and in its budget deliberations process specially noted the various types of assistance provided by the ROC and cooperation projects carried out by the two nations. The resolution stressed that the ROC is one of Tuvalu's most valued diplomatic relationships and that bilateral ties are friendly and close, the president said.
The president also noted that four years ago when parts of southern and eastern Taiwan experienced devastating flooding and mudslides caused by Typhoon Morakot, Tuvalu generously donated US$210,000 to the relief assistance effort. This is one example of the close bond between the two countries, he remarked. President Ma said that Tuvalu's GDP is only US$21 million, so its donation of US$210,000 thus amounted to 1% of GDP, the largest donation from any nation as a percentage of GDP.
President Ma also mentioned that Tuvalu's only representative offices overseas are its permanent representative to the United Nations, its representative office to the European Union, a high commissioner in Fiji, and a consulate in Auckland, New Zealand. Tuvalu's embassy in the ROC will be its fifth diplomatic office overseas. Given Ambassador Taupo's wealth of diplomatic and administrative experience, said the president, his arrival at his post is sure to spur additional progress in relations between the two nations, and to further expand the cooperative relationship.
The credentials ceremony was held at the Presidential Office Building in the morning. Among those attending the event were Secretary-General to the President Timothy Chin-Tien Yang (楊進添) and Minister of Foreign Affairs David Y. L. Lin (林永樂).