President Tsai attends state banquet hosted by Palau President Remengesau and witnesses signing of coast guard cooperation agreement
On the evening of March 22 (evening of March 22 Taipei time), President Tsai Ing-wen attended a state banquet hosted by Palau President Tommy Remengesau, Jr., and witnessed the signing of an agreement on coast guard cooperation.
Prior to the state banquet, the two countries signed an agreement on coast guard cooperation, in which the master of ceremonies commenced the proceedings by reciting in both Mandarin and English the main points of the bilateral coast guard cooperation agreement. President Tsai and President Remengesau then watched as Vice President Raynold Oilouch and Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮) signed the agreement. Foreign Minister Wu also presented two miniature model patrol boats to Vice President Oilouch as a gift.
In remarks, President Tsai first thanked President Remengesau and our Palauan friends for their warm hospitality, and said that Palau is a tourist mecca that has long been renowned for its azure oceans, warm weather, and friendly people. Since arriving at the airport the previous evening, said the president, she has deeply experienced these features for herself.
President Tsai pointed out that Taiwan and Palau have always been the best of friends. and Taiwan's indigenous peoples in particular share similar cultural traditions with the people of Palau and other Pacific islands.
President Tsai illustrated by noting that the Palauan word for "hello"—Alii—means "friend" or "companion" in Taiwan’s indigenous Paiwan tongue, and in the Amis language it is used to address close relatives.
The president also pointed out that the making of the ceramic arts had once died out in Palau, but over the past few years, Paiwan ceramicist Sasunud Mavaliu (華恆明) has helped to rebuild the Palauan ceramics tradition. With his assistance, dozens of seed instructors were also trained.
Such stories, said the president, show that oceans do not separate us, but bind us together, which is why we re-launched the Austronesian Forum last year and chose Palau as its headquarters. We intend to engage in deeper, more comprehensive exchanges with our brothers and sisters throughout the Pacific region, to help our Austronesian cultures shine together.
President Tsai mentioned that she had delivered a piece of good news to President Remengesau just that morning—the news that this coming June, Taiwan's China Airlines will increase the number of direct flights from Taipei to Palau to four per week, enabling more people from Taiwan to visit this beautiful country.
Besides culture and tourism, said the president, Taiwan and Palau have long cooperated in education, healthcare, agriculture, trade, investments, and the paramount issue of marine conservation, and they will continue to do so.
In addition to the just-concluded signing of the agreement on coast guard cooperation, President Tsai mentioned that she and President Remengesau would be inspecting the achievements of other cooperative projects and further enjoying the scenic beauty of Palau tomorrow.
Finally, President Tsai again thanked President and Madame Remengesau and our Palauan friends for their warm hospitality, raised a toast to the friendship between Taiwan and Palau, and wished everyone a pleasant evening.
Among those in attendance were Palau's Vice President Raynold Oilouch, former President Kuniwo Nakamura, former President Thomas Remengesau, Sr., Paramount High Chief Ibedul Yutaka Gibbons, Paramount High Chief Reklai Raphael Ngirmang, Chief Justice Arthur Ngiraklsong, and Ambassador Dilmei Louisa Olkeriil, as well as the ROC's Minister of Foreign Affairs Joseph Wu (吳釗燮), National Security Council Deputy Secretary-General Tsai Ming-yen (蔡明彥), the other members of the visiting delegation, and ROC Ambassador to Palau Wallace M.G. Chow (周民淦).