President Ma Ying-jeou met on the evening of November 11 with a delegation led by Republic of Kiribati President Anote Tong and Mrs. Tong. In addition to reviewing the stable alliance between the two countries, President Ma also expressed hope that the two sides will continue to engage in close cooperation on issues of mutual interest.
In remarks, President Ma stated that four days ago marked the 12th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the ROC and Kiribati. The two countries not only pursue the common principles of freedom, democracy, peace, and the value of human rights, but also closely cooperate in a wide variety of fields, including infrastructure, medical services, food safety, fisheries, and response to climate change. This cooperation has promoted the stable and longstanding alliance. President Ma also said that this is President Tong's 12th visit to the ROC, which shows the close bond between the two countries.
President Ma mentioned that he recently received a letter from President Tong, urging the ROC to continue to press ahead on climate change issues. President Ma said that for responding to climate change, the ROC has provided Kiribati with a disaster fund to build seawalls and dykes, and to repair schools and dormitories. The ROC also fully supports Kiribati in holding international conferences on climate change-related topics. Since 2010 the ROC government has joined hands with local companies in promoting a clean energy project in Kiribati that has provided them with 20,000 solar-powered lamps and related products, highlighting our close and frequent bilateral cooperation.
President Ma said that the ROC has consistently responded to climate change and other sustainable development-related topics. In June of this year, for instance, the legislature passed the Greenhouse Gas Emission Reduction and Management Act, and in September the ROC drafted its Intended Nationally Determined Contribution, hoping to work with the international community to respond to issues such as global greenhouse gas emissions, global warming, and climate change, he stated.
President Ma furthermore remarked that the government of Kiribati has repeatedly spoken on behalf of the ROC in international venues, and identifies with the ROC government's desire for meaningful participations in the international community. The government and people of the ROC will always remember these efforts, he said. President Tong in early December of this year will lead a delegation from Kiribati to Paris to attend the 21st Conference of the Parties (COP21) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), and President Ma hopes that his counterpart will again use this opportunity to speak on behalf of the ROC.
President Ma mentioned that the ROC and Kiribati are both maritime nations, and both place great importance on issues such as preserving the marine environment, ensuring freedom of navigation and overflight, and maintaining regional peace. The ROC in 2012 introduced the East China Sea Peace Initiative, which called on related parties to replace confrontation with dialogue, shelve controversies through consultation, and resolve disputes through peaceful means. Taiwan and Japan in 2013 signed a fisheries agreement based on that initiative. Since signing the agreement, Taiwanese fishermen have been able to operate freely in a 70,000-square-kilometer maritime area, boosting the volume and quality of their catches. Fishing disputes between the two sides have also become rare. As a result, Taiwan has "not ceded an inch on sovereignty while making great progress in terms of fishing rights," he stated.
The president said that he embraced the concept that "although sovereignty over national territory cannot be compromised, natural resources can be shared," in introducing the South China Sea Peace Initiative in May of this year, hoping to duplicate the ROC's experience in promoting peace and cooperation in the East China Sea. He also urged all parties involved in South China Sea disputes to engage in dialogue to ensure freedom of navigation and overflight, all working together to enhance stability and prosperity in East Asia. This, the president said, also shows the ROC's efforts to play the role of "peacemaker."
President Ma then hopes that, based on the existing foundation, Kiribati and the ROC will extend their cooperation. He specifically said that even more interaction on climate change-related topics would deepen bilateral relations.
President Tong expressed his gratitude to the ROC for the assistance and cooperation it has provided to Kiribati. He also praised President Ma for his actions that have yielded recent developments in cross-strait relations, saying that they are conducive to maintaining regional peace. This was a courageous and correct step, President Tong said, also expressing his confidence that only dialogue can resolve problems.
The Kiribati president then stated that the ROC's contributions in the area of climate change are obvious to all. President Tong pointed out that he will travel to Paris in December to take part in the COP21 to the UNFCCC, and hopes that the ROC will continue to support Kiribati on climate change issues. President Tong also intends to continue to speak on behalf of the ROC in international venues.
Also attending the meeting was Akka Maroti Rimon, Kiribati's Secretary of Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Immigration. The delegation was accompanied to the Presidential Office by Kiribati Ambassador to the ROC Teekoa Iuta and ROC Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Bruce J. D. Linghu (令狐榮達) to meet with President Ma.