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On the morning of October 23, President Tsai Ing-wen met with a delegation headed by Dominican Republic Minister of Defense Lieutenant General Ruben Dario Paulino Sem. After welcoming the visitors to Taiwan, the president called for continued bilateral exchanges and cooperation, and further enhancement of the bilateral friendship.
In remarks, President Tsai first welcomed Defense Minister Paulino Sem back to Taiwan to participate in military exchanges, and noted that Taiwan and the Dominican Republic frequently cooperate on economic and trade, social services, infrastructure, and medical care issues. Military exchanges are particularly important, she added.
The president pointed out that the defense minister has experience in Taiwan, and that Dominican Republic President Danilo Medina relies on him. Since taking his current position, Minister Paulino Sem has worked to upgrade bilateral military cooperation between Taiwan and the Dominican Republic. In August 2017, for example, Minister of National Defense Feng Shih-kuan (馮世寬) visited the Dominican Republic, where he had in-depth discussions with Minister Paulino Sem on a number of military issues, including reciprocal visits at the commander level, and military education exchanges. In addition, Chief of the General Staff Lee Hsi-ming (李喜明) will participate in the Central American Armed Forces Conference and visit the Dominican Republic next month.
Commenting on bilateral interaction, President Tsai said that Minister Paulino Sem's visit and our highest military officer's visit to the Dominican Republic show the strength of our military ties, and will make a substantive and positive contribution to bilateral military relations.
In concluding her remarks, President Tsai mentioned that the Dominican Republic gave Vice President Chen Chien-jen a warm reception when he attended the inauguration of President Medina in 2016. President Tsai then asked Minister Paulino Sem to convey to President Medina warm greetings from Taiwan, as well as an invitation to visit to enhance bilateral exchanges.
