President Tsai attends groundbreaking ceremony for Solomon Islands Crafts Market Centre, visits Guadalcanal American Memorial
At 9:00 a.m. on November 3 local time (6:00 a.m. Taipei time), President Tsai Ing-wen and her delegation attended the groundbreaking ceremony for the Solomon Islands Crafts Market Centre, and visited the Guadalcanal American Memorial. The president was in the Solomon Islands on a diplomatic mission dubbed "Sustainable Austronesia, Working Together for a Better Future—2017 State Visits to Pacific Allies."
After President Tsai arrived at the site of the future handicrafts center, Solomon Islands Minister of Culture and Tourism Bartholomew Parapolo and Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism Andrew Nihopara accompanied her to see various handicrafts booths. The setting was decidedly upbeat and relaxed as the president picked out a few hand-woven fans and handbags
After the groundbreaking ceremony got started, President Tsai and Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare each turned a spadeful of soil, thus marking the symbolic beginning of construction of the handicrafts center, which upon completion will be an important local cultural facility.
After the ceremony ended, President Tsai and Prime Minister Sogavare proceeded to the Solomon Islands National Art Gallery, where a guide introduced the artwork and handicraft items on exhibit. President Tsai purchased a painting and a wood-carved table with a distinctively local character.
Afterward, President Tsai and her delegation went to the Guadalcanal American Memorial, which was erected as a prayer for peace, and to commemorate the tremendous World War II battle that US forces fought and won in the Solomon Islands at great cost in lives. President Tsai laid a floral wreath before the monument as a show of respect.
The visit to the memorial was the last item on President Tsai's agenda, marking the end of her visit to the Solomon Islands.