President Tsai Ing-wen said Oct. 31 that collaborative projects implemented by the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Marshall Islands are improving living standards and spurring sustainable development in the ROC Pacific diplomatic ally.
Joint undertakings in the areas of agriculture, green energy, and health and medical care are succeeding on the back of determined efforts by both nations’ public and private sectors, Tsai said. The ROC technical mission in the Marshall Islands is proving particularly effective in this regard, and can take credit for advancing the circular economy and reducing carbon emissions and waste production, she added.
According to the president, another outstanding example is the work carried out by personnel from Taipei Medical University Shuang Ho Hospital. Programs spanning disease prevention, talent cultivation and treatment are making a real difference to the well-being of the people of the Marshall Islands, she said.
Tsai made the remarks during a dinner banquet she hosted in gratitude for the hospitality shown by the government and people of the Marshall Islands during her visit. Also attending were Marshall Islands President Hilda C. Heine, senior government officials from both countries and members of the ROC medical and technical missions.
Earlier the same day, Tsai and Heine inaugurated an environmentally friendly piggery and climate-controlled greenhouse constructed under a cooperation project implemented by Taipei City-headquartered International Cooperation Development Fund (TaiwanICDF).
The pair also visited College of Marshall Islands for a briefing on the One Island, One Product initiative. Based on a similar program developed by the Small and Medium Enterprise Administration under the Ministry of Economic Affairs, OIOP promotes such signature items as canoes, handicrafts and food produced across 24 islands in the Pacific nation.
Tsai is visiting the Marshall Islands as part of an eight-day official trip to three ROC diplomatic allies in the region. She is scheduled to depart Nov. 1 for Tuvalu and meet with Prime Minister Enele S. Sopoaga and Governor General Iakoba Taeia Italeli.
Next stop is the Solomon Islands, where the president’s itinerary includes meetings with Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare and Governor General Frank Ofagioro Kabui, as well as addressing the country’s parliament and inspecting bilateral agricultural and medical cooperation projects.
According to the Office of the President, Tsai will stop over in the U.S. territory of Guam before returning Nov. 4 to Taiwan. (SFC-E)
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