President Tsai Ing-wen (蔡英文) yesterday was greeted by Marshallese President Hilda Heine at the Amata Kabua/Marshall Islands International Airport upon her delegation’s arrival in Majuro.
At a formal welcoming ceremony later, Tsai said Heine attended her inauguration on May 20 last year, and as the Marshall Islands’ first female president and an educator, Heine had made a deep impression on her.
Tsai said she was happy to visit the Marshall Islands, the first stop on a three-nation tour of diplomatic allies in the Pacific.
Photo: CNA
Taiwan and the Marshall Islands have a close friendship and share common ideas such as pursuing democracy, freedom and sustainable development, Tsai said, adding that over the past 20 years, they have promoted cooperative plans in many areas, including education, economics and medical care.
Tsai said she was looking forward to personally seeing the results of the joint ventures, learning about Austronesian culture and helping forge closer ties.
Heine said that Tsai’s New Southbound Policy has helped Taiwan strengthen exchanges with 18 countries in the Asia-Pacific region in the fields of culture, education, energy and technology.
Photo: CNA
Tsai and Heine later in the day witnessed the signing of memorandums of understanding by the two nations’ foreign ministries on the establishment of a fund to finance a presidential scholarship program in the Marshall Islands, and on cooperation in immigration affairs and combatting human trafficking.
Taiwan has signed memorandums or other pacts on immigration and the prevention of human trafficking and smuggling with 17 nations to strengthen international crime prevention, the Presidential Office said in a statement.
Tsai and Heine also witnessed the signing of an agreement between Taipei Medical University Shuang Ho Hospital and the Marshallese Ministry of Health and Human Services to continue a medical internship program as well as establish a hospital information system to enhance the quality of healthcare in the nation.
Photo: CNA
Shuang Ho Hospital helped established a Taiwan Health Center in Majuro on Aug. 29, 2002, nearly four years after Taiwan established diplomatic relations with the Marshal Islands in November 1998.
The hospital is to help with the running of a clinical internship program, as well as set up an computerized system at Majuro Hospital to digitize patient records and other medical information.
Taiwan has also helped local hospitals establish standard operating procedures for patient care, and donated an image archiving and communication system used by radiology departments to store diagnostic information, the Presidential Office said.
Heine hosted a banquet last night for Tsai and the Taiwanese delegation.
During her speech to the dinner, Heine voiced her government’s strong support for Taiwan joining the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
Climate change is threatening the security, economy and future of the Marshall Islands, and with the gradual rise of sea levels, the nation has experienced flooding and torrential rain with greater frequency, she said.
The Marshall Islands consists of two chains of coral atolls, many of which lie barely 1m above sea level and are at constant risk of being submerged.
Impressed by Taiwan’s efforts in the development of “green” energy, Heine said the two nations should take joint action to deal with environmental issues.
That is one of the reasons why the Marshallese government supports Taiwan’s membership in the UNFCCC and other groups such as the International Civil Aviation Organization and the WHO, Heine said.
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