President Lai meets President Hilda C. Heine of the Marshall Islands and her cabinet
On the afternoon of December 3 local time (morning of December 3 Taipei time), President Lai Ching-te met with President Hilda C. Heine of the Republic of the Marshall Islands and cabinet ministers as part of his itinerary for state visits to the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu, and the Republic of Palau. In remarks, President Lai said that he looks forward to cooperating with the Marshall Islands on the international stage to tackle a range of challenges, continuing to bring about even more cooperative achievements, and devoting even greater efforts to deepening our nations’ diplomatic alliance.
A translation of President Lai’s remarks follows:
Firstly, I would like to thank President Heine, as well as the ministers gathered here, for convening this meeting, which will allow us to exchange opinions on a range of topics. Taiwan and the Marshall Islands are mutually supportive friends that cooperate on the international stage to tackle a range of challenges. We also share Austronesian culture, which makes us like family.
At the Pacific Islands Forum in August, the United Nations General Assembly in September, and COP29 in November, President Heine spoke up for Taiwan and extended great support for our international participation. On behalf of the people of Taiwan, I want to convey my deepest gratitude. I would also like to thank President Heine for pledging her intent just now to keep speaking up for Taiwan on the international stage.
President Heine is the Marshall Islands’ first woman president and the first woman leader of a sovereign Pacific nation. She has long paid close attention to women’s rights and interests, as well as the impacts of climate change, which is truly admirable.
Over the years, whether promoting women’s empowerment or climate change response, Taiwan and the Marshall Islands have laid down a solid foundation for collaboration. And looking ahead, we hope that our nations can continue to bring about even more cooperative achievements in a range of areas. I look forward to exchanging opinions with you all so that we can devote even greater efforts to deepening our nations’ diplomatic alliance.
In her remarks, President Heine first welcomed President Lai on behalf of the government and people of the Marshall Islands, saying she is delighted to meet with the president and his delegation. She said that she is very grateful to President Lai and the government and people of Taiwan for their warm hospitality when she visited in May to attend President Lai’s inauguration.
President Heine remarked that President Lai’s visit affirms our nations’ robust bilateral ties, and that as we mark 26 years of our enduring diplomatic alliance, we can both look forward to continuing to enhance our relations. She emphasized that the Marshall Islands will continue to consider Taiwan as one of its staunchest allies, and will continue to speak up for Taiwan in the UN and other international organizations. To close, President Heine once again welcomed President Lai, and said she looks forward to their conversation.
Also in attendance were Marshall Islands Minister of Foreign Affairs and Trade Kalani Kaneko, Minister of Environment Bremity Lakjohn, Minister of Finance David Paul, Minister of Transportation & Communication Hilton T. Kendall, Minister of Education Joe Bejang, and Minister of Justice Wisely Zackhras.
Earlier, President Lai also attended a launch ceremony for the Marshall Islands Capitol Building renovation project and took a group photo with distinguished guests holding shovels in front of the project backboard, which featured the flags of both the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Marshall Islands, to declare the project’s commencement.