Office of the President Republic of China(Taiwan)

On the afternoon of December 5 local time (earlier in the afternoon of December 5 Taipei time), President Lai Ching-te arrived at Roman Tmetuchl International Airport in the Republic of Palau after a flight time of more than two hours, following the conclusion of his transit stop in Guam on a series of state visits to Taiwan’s Pacific allies.

President Lai was welcomed to the Republic of Palau on the plane by Ambassador to Palau Jessica C. Lee (黎倩儀) and Palauan Minister of State Gustav Aitaro. In the ensuing welcome ceremony, initiated by a young Palauan blowing on a conch shell, President Lai waved to the welcoming crowd as Secretary-General to the President Pan Men-an (潘孟安) and Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) accompanied him off the aircraft, where he accepted a lei from a Palauan representative.

President Lai then walked down the red carpet and through a police honor cordon accompanied by Minister Aitaro, who introduced President Lai to Palauan officials. After greeting members of the overseas Taiwanese community there to welcome him, President Lai proceeded to the Office of the President in the capital of Palau, where he met with President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., with whom he exchanged views on a wide range of topics of mutual concern.

A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:

I am very pleased to be visiting Palau once again and seeing my dear old friends. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I want to congratulate President Whipps on his conclusive reelection victory. This shows that the people strongly affirm and admire his past governance. With the blessing of President Whipps, I was elected president of Taiwan earlier this year. Our countries share an Austronesian culture heritage; we are a family; and we are both democratic nations that pursue shared democratic values. Palau and Taiwan have both held elections this year, showing the consolidation of democracy in each of our countries.

This year marks the 30th anniversary of Palau’s independence, and the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Taiwan and Palau. I think 25 years is a very good historical foundation. I hope that our countries can further enhance cooperation so we can work together more closely for the well-being of both our peoples.

The last time I visited Palau, President Whipps took me to see a historic battlefield. The experience helped me better understand not only the importance of peace but the critical role that Palau and Taiwan play in maintaining peace in the Indo-Pacific region. Geopolitical changes are impacting the world, and Taiwan and Palau both face the threat of authoritarianism in the Indo-Pacific. I hope that Taiwan and Palau can work together, further strengthen democracy, and together resist expanding authoritarianism.

I hope we can continue forward with the various cooperative projects that Palau and Taiwan were carrying out while former President Tsai Ing-wen was in office. During this visit to Palau, I look forward to hearing about President Whipps’ plans for his next term and areas in which he hopes to further advance cooperation with Taiwan.

Lastly, I want to thank President Whipps for speaking up repeatedly for Taiwan at various United Nations organizations and also publicly and privately at many different international activities. I was moved by the support.

President Whipps then delivered remarks, indicating that he was pleased that President Lai was visiting Palau a second time within two years, demonstrating the close relationship between our countries and symbolizing our friendship. He pointed out that Palau and Taiwan both face threats from neighboring countries, so we must cooperate with like-minded allies like the US, Japan, and Australia to maintain a free and open Indo-Pacific region.

Noting the strong Taiwan-Palau relationship, President Whipps thanked Taiwan for its many years of support, which includes assistance and cooperation in the development of agriculture, aquaculture, and fisheries, and its help in Palau’s construction of roads and infrastructure. In addition, he said, bilateral cooperation in such fields as education, medicine and public health, and tourism has also been very fruitful. President Whipps expressed hope that our countries will continue to cooperate and seek an innovative and diversified economic model to spur national development.

Among those in attendance were Minister of Finance Kaleb Udui, Jr., Minister of Health and Human Services Gaafar Uherbelau, and Chief of Staff Landisang Kotaro of the Office of the President of Palau.