Lai received warmly in Marshall Islands by president, Nitijela

2024/12/05

President Lai Ching-te met with Marshall Islands President Hilda C. Heine and ministers Dec. 3 during the first stop of his seven-day trip to Taiwan’s Pacific allies.
 
Lai first thanked Heine for speaking up for Taiwan at this year’s Pacific Islands Forum, U.N. General Assembly and the 29th Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change. Taiwan and the Marshall Islands enjoy close cooperation on projects in areas ranging from climate change adaptation to women’s empowerment, he said, pledging to further deepen bilateral collaborations across the board.
 
In response, Heine said Lai’s visit demonstrated the robust ties between the two countries. She reaffirmed that the Marshall Islands will continue to voice support of Taiwan in the U.N. and other international organizations.
 
At a state banquet hosted by Heine, Lai announced an additional US$500,000 in funding for the ROC (Taiwan)-RMI Presidents’ Scholarship program. Earlier the same day, Lai delivered an address to the Nitijela, the parliament of the Marshall Islands, and shared that Taiwan would provide a loan to the country intended to improve local air services.
 
During his speech, he emphasized that the two countries share a rich Austronesian culture and both value freedom and democracy. He went on to express his hope that the two countries will continue working together to combat climate change, citing a memorandum of understanding for the establishment of the Taiwan-Marshall Islands Adaptation and Contingency Fund for Climate Change signed by the two sides last year.
 
The president also joined the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the Majuro Hospital AI and Telemedicine Center, which will be operated with support from Taipei Medical University-Shuang Ho Hospital, and joined a market showcasing agricultural produce cultivated with help from the Taiwan technical mission in the Pacific ally. 


Source: Taiwan Today (https://taiwantoday.tw/index.php)