President Ma Ying-jeou met on the morning of November 12 with a delegation led by Tuvalu Governor-General Iakoba Taeia Italeli and Mrs. Italeli. In addition to recapping the state of cooperation between the ROC and Tuvalu, the president also called for continued enhancing of bilateral ties and a lasting alliance.
In remarks, President Ma first congratulated Governor-General Italeli on his appointment to a second term in April of this year. In addition, in July of this year Governor-General Italeli was named chancellor of the University of the South Pacific, which, the president said, highlights the recognition of the political reputation and academic background of the governor-general by Tuvalu and the international community.
As for cooperation and training programs provided by the ROC, President Ma pointed out that the two countries established formal relations in 1979, making Tuvalu the first of the South Pacific island states to become a diplomatic partner of the ROC. For the past 36 years, the two sides have maintained interaction and cooperation in the areas of economic ties, agriculture and fishing, medicine and health care, environmental protection and clean energy, vocational training, food safety, and culture, and these ties are becoming closer all the time.
In the area of agricultural cooperation, the president stated, the ROC agricultural mission to Tuvalu has a Horticultural Crop Development Project in Funafuti, and has established a demonstration farm that is a successful model for farms of this type. In addition, he said, the agricultural mission has also dispatched experts to offshore islands to extend farming production techniques there for enhancing agricultural techniques in Tuvalu.
President Ma also mentioned that the ROC has provided educational assistance to Tuvalu to help with vocational training. Initiatives include scholarships, short-term training courses, and workshops, and over 90 young people from Tuvalu have benefited from these programs since 2008. The president added that in order to increase jobs for seamen from Tuvalu, Taiwan's Yang Ming Marine Transport Corp. starting in 2007 has on average employed 12 Tuvalu nationals annually to work as crew members on its vessels. President Ma remarked that this year 12 young people from Tuvalu have come to Taiwan to take part in a three-month vocational training course, noting that he is confident that these individuals will contribute what they have learned upon their return to Tuvalu, thereby helping to further promote the bilateral alliance.
In the area of medicine and health care, the president said, the ROC has over the years sent medical missions to Tuvalu to provide health care services free of charge. He specifically pointed out that under the Taiwan Medical Program, which commenced in 2012, public health workers are dispatched to Tuvalu to provide service, and have won the trust of patients and the public at large. In 2013, meanwhile, the ROC government established the School of Medicine for International Students at I-Shou University in Kaohsiung City. He expressed hope that even more top students from Tuvalu will apply to study medicine in Taiwan after they have received their bachelor's degrees. This will further boost bilateral cooperation in health care, the president said.
As for cooperation in the field of clean energy, President Ma explained, starting in 2010 the ROC began helping Tuvalu to build related infrastructure, including solar-powered fixtures and street lights, and is helping the country switch to low-power LED lights.
The president also mentioned that Tuvalu has consistently and actively supported participation by the ROC in international organizations. Over the years, it has repeatedly and publicly urged the international community to support Taiwan's participation in the World Health Assembly (WHA), the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change, and other important groups, he said. The president noted that Tuvalu Deputy Prime Minister Vete Sakaio during the UN General Debate last year fervently spoke in support of the ROC's efforts to join United Nations organizations. Furthermore, President Ma pointed out, in May of this year Tuvalu Minister of Health Leneuoti Maatusi spoke on behalf of the ROC at the WHA, and Prime Minister Enele Sopoaga did likewise in September at the UN General Assembly. President Ma said he is deeply appreciative of these gestures.
Lastly, the president said he deeply hopes that the ROC and Tuvalu will continue to jointly pursue their shared commitment to democracy, human rights, and rule of law, and that the alliance between the two countries will be a lasting one.
Also in the delegation were Tuvalu Minister of Communications and Transport Monise Laafai and Mrs. Laafai and Tuvalu Ambassador to the ROC Minute Alapati Taupo and Mrs. Taupo.