News & activities
News releases
On the morning of June 10 local time (morning of the same day Taipei time), Vice President Bi-khim Hsiao held a reception in Palau for the press corps traveling with her delegation. At the reception, the vice president explained the three objectives assigned to her by President Lai Ching-te, including deepening the diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Palau, assisting Palau in promoting tourism, and witnessing the achievements of Taiwan-Palau cooperation through the Diplomatic Allies Prosperity Project. The vice president also shared the experiences and insights she gained on the trip.
The vice president stated that she was deeply honored to be entrusted by President Lai to visit Palau on behalf of the people of Taiwan. She mentioned that during the reception she would be explaining the three objectives assigned to her by President Lai and sharing her experiences and impressions from the trip. The vice president said that during the packed itinerary of the past few days, she also gained many valuable lessons and insights.
The vice president pointed out that the first task entrusted to her by President Lai was to “deepen the diplomatic ties between Taiwan and Palau.” During this visit, President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. personally accompanied the delegation to visit the iconic natural and historical sites of Palau. The trip also included exchanges with various sectors of Palau society, including traditional leaders and government officials. Vice President Raynold Oilouch even greeted the delegation at the airport upon their arrival. As Vice President Oilouch also serves as the minister of health and human services, he personally briefed the delegation on the cooperative achievements of Taiwan and Palau in medicine.
In addition, the visiting delegation interacted with many local schoolchildren and received a warm welcome at events ranging from the welcoming banquet and baseball activities to various other stops on their itinerary. Overall, this visit touched on a wide range of areas, and good interactions were established with local residents through grassroots activities and joint inspections of Taiwan-Palau cooperative projects.
Regarding the second objective, “assisting Palau in promoting tourism,” the vice president stated that tourism is one of Palau's important industries, and Palau also hopes that Taiwan can further assist in promotion. Accompanied and guided by President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr., the vice president once again witnessed the beautiful scenery of Palau, and said that over the past few days, she had also continued to communicate with the Palauan side and discuss the travel preferences of Taiwanese tourists.
The vice president mentioned that over the past few years, Palau has also been impacted by China's weaponization of tourism, by which it uses the number of tourists as a means of coercion. Sometimes they allow tourists to enter, and other times they restrict or prohibit entry, implementing various forms of control that have caused significant fluctuations in Palau's number of tourists. However, Taiwanese tourists have always loved Palau, and in recent years, more and more travelers from Europe and America have come to visit.
The vice president stated that the third objective is to “witness the achievements of the long-term efforts of the Taiwan-Palau diplomatic alliance.” Taking road construction as an example, she said that on Palau's Babeldaob and Peleliu islands, one can see many infrastructure projects for which Taiwan has provided assistance. The flags of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Republic of Palau are visible everywhere, symbolizing the achievements of the joint efforts of both countries. In addition to infrastructure, the delegation also witnessed the efforts and contributions of the Taiwan Technical Mission in Palau, including their professional assistance in agricultural development and engagement in education, language teaching, and information technology. Young people from Taiwan doing alternative national service in Palau are also helping to promote digitalization locally, and their achievements are deeply appreciated by the people of Palau.
The vice president further explained that the Taiwan Technical Mission not only provides guidance in agricultural technology, but also helps improve the nutritional profile of Palau's people, which is related to close cooperation in the fields of medicine and public health. The fresh fruits and vegetables cultivated by the Taiwan Technical Mission provide more diverse options for local elementary school students. Due to Palau's geographical and environmental factors, canned foods have long been a staple, and highly processed foods can pose long-term health risks. Taiwan's promotion of fresh fruits and vegetables and local communication and interaction have therefore won praise from Palauans.
The vice president further pointed out that this trip also included a special visit to Belau National Hospital, and she expressed gratitude to Shin Kong Hospital for officially launching medical cooperation with Palau. During the various exchanges, she said that she could see that in addition to government-supported cooperation projects, there was also significant involvement from Taiwan's private healthcare system. For example, physicians from Chang Gung Memorial Hospital traveled to Palau to open volunteer clinics and led young medical students participating in President Lai Ching-te's Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative to engage in medical diplomacy together, fully demonstrating the close cooperation between the two sides in various fields. In addition, the vice president mentioned, in August this year Palau will host the Pacific Islands Forum. She said she looks forward to sharing the achievements of Taiwan-Palau cooperation with other Pacific Island countries through the forum, showcasing the spirit of “Taiwan Can Help” and the people of Taiwan as a force for good.
The vice president mentioned that the past few days of close interactions have helped her to develop a deeper understanding of Palauan culture and aspirations. She noted that besides being the nearest diplomatic ally of Taiwan, Palau is also the only one of Taiwan's diplomatic allies that has direct flights to and from Taiwan, which is convenient regardless of whether one is traveling for tourism or for other purposes. Another interesting point is the fact that Palau and Taiwan are both island nations with deep ties to Austronesian history. Palau attaches great importance to the preservation of traditional culture and languages, and the people are deeply proud of their traditional culture. The vice president noted that the trip has afforded her opportunities to engage in exchanges with traditional Palauan leaders. The vice president also spoke with Minister of Human Resources, Culture, Tourism and Development Ngiraibelas Tmetuchl about how to spur more diverse exchanges between our two countries, as well as about the indigenous peoples of Taiwan. They focused especially on how to make more use of the Taiwan Global Pathfinders Initiative launched by President Lai to bring about more cultural exchanges between the indigenous youth of Taiwan and young people in Palau, so that more Taiwanese people can understand the highly unique culture of Palau.
In addition to the allure of Palau's maritime tourism, the vice president also expressed hope that more Taiwanese travelers will develop a deep familiarity with Palau itself. In the future, she said, a more systematic approach can be used to introduce Palau to visitors, including guided tours of notable sites, visits to walking paths, hikes, and other types of outings designed to help Taiwanese visitors better understand Palau's rich and diverse culture. As for cuisine-focused exchanges, the taro dishes that appear in so much of Palau's traditional food are key staples in many Pacific Island nations. Taiwan, as well, has many taro products, she noted, but each country has its own flavors and different styles of preparation. These cultural ties will provide important opportunities for more bilateral exchanges in the future.
The vice president stated that in relations between Taiwan and Palau, national interests take top priority, with each side seeking arrangements that best contribute to its own development, including such areas as the economy, industry, and global influence. Palau has long supported Taiwan's participation in international organizations. She mentioned the example of Vice President and concurrent Health Minister Oilouch, who recently spoke up in strong defense of Taiwan's international participation during proceedings at the UN General Assembly. Vice President Hsiao said that Taiwan also hopes, by carrying out its various flagship cooperation projects with Palau, to demonstrate to the world Taiwan's professionalism and capabilities, and to show that Taiwan is able to contribute to the international community.
The vice president said that in addition to diplomatic and strategic interests, our bilateral relations also entail friendships and exchanges at the interpersonal level. Besides government-to-government cooperation projects, she said she has also witnessed many exchanges and interactions among the people of Taiwan and Palau. Mentioning baseball as one example of this, she said that the Palau baseball team is the current champion of the Pacific region. The team has trained with assistance from Taiwan, and locals have expressed gratitude for that support, crediting it with contributing to its development. Now other national teams are seeking Taiwan's training assistance following the Palau model. Breakthroughs achieved through sports diplomacy of this sort flow from Taiwan's people power. In the field of medicine, many Taiwan-based NGOs are showing that “Taiwan Can Help” and that “Taiwan is a force for good” in their diplomatic efforts, further building up the bilateral friendship. She said that, in this regard, this trip has been very meaningful.
In closing, the vice president thanked the diplomatic team and embassy staff in Palau for their assistance with the trip. She also thanked the traveling press corps, pointing out that the media workers following the delegation have carried heavy equipment from place to place and worked under intense heat and sunlight – no small feat. She thanked the members of the media for using their professional cameras and in-depth reporting to convey the results of this visit to the people of Taiwan, allowing more people to understand the deep friendship between Palau and Taiwan and become more familiar with Palau's rich cultural heritage and beautiful natural landscapes.
