Ungil Kebesengei! (Good evening!)
As my state visit to Palau is drawing to a close, it is a great honor to express my delegation’s sincere gratitude to friends from all sectors of Palau at this evening’s banquet.
First, I would like to thank President Tommy Remengesau and the government of Palau for the warm welcome and refined hospitality accorded to us over the past few days.
In particular, this morning, President Remengesau personally piloted the boat on our tour of Neco Bay and Dolphin Bay. “Pearl of the Pacific” is indeed an apt description for Palau.
The Palauan government has utilized pioneering policies to both protect its oceans and encourage the development of the tourism industry, an accomplishment I found especially touching. By signing the Palau Pledge, I am willing to abide by my duties as a visitor to join efforts to protect Palau's environment.
Palau's vision and sincerity in promoting sustainable development are truly valuable lessons for Taiwan, and to me, this was the most rewarding aspect of the trip. I will share what I have learned in Palau with the Tourism Bureau upon my return to Taiwan, and I will call upon both the Tourism Bureau and Ministry of Foreign Affairs to provide more information and incentives, and engage in more exchange activities, so that more Taiwanese people can come to Palau and experience what it feels like to truly become one with nature, and they can bring their experiences back to Taiwan upon their return.
I also want to thank Palau's traditional leaders for offering us great friendship and support on behalf of Palauan society. The past few days' activities gave me a deeper appreciation of the friendship among Austronesian peoples, one built not just on official exchanges, but also on natural people-to-people connections that are often as close as family ties.
Although the Pacific Islands may seem scattered and tiny from a land-based perspective, from the Austronesian people's unique maritime perspective, we share the world's largest ocean, giving us broader perspectives and allowing us to make important contributions to the world.
Just a few days ago, Taiwan passed a six-year work plan for the Austronesian Forum. We are opening a new chapter of more stable multilateral cooperation with our brothers and sisters in the Pacific, including cultural preservation, talent cultivation, and the development of indigenous industries.
In addition to our overarching goals, I also want to introduce the delectable cuisine being served at the banquet. Most of the dishes were provided by the Palau Royal Resort, but the Taiwanese noodles with cassava and smoked tuna and the taro and coconut sugar cheesecake were made by students from the Palau Community College who were trained by the head chef from Taiwan's Taoyuan Orchard Park Hotel.
Each time I make state visits, our diplomatic allies consistently give the best reviews to short-term vocational training programs, and today is a perfect opportunity to show everyone the results of our "steadfast diplomacy."
Of course, we won’t forget to recommend the delicious fruits grown by the Taiwan Technical Mission to the people of Palau. Please enjoy, and give the chefs and our friends in the Technical Mission a warm round of applause for all the dishes on the table tonight.
I thank our friends in Palau once again for the warm hospitality. Now, allow me to propose a toast: to everlasting friendship and more bountiful cooperation between our governments and peoples!
Mesulang! (Thank you!)