Taiwan and Palau signed two agreements and one memorandum of understanding Aug. 30 to expand cooperation in disaster resilience, criminal justice and forensic science, further cementing the long-standing partnership between the two Indo-Pacific allies.
The pacts were concluded in Taipei City during the Aug. 27-31 visit of a Palau delegation led by Vice President and Minister of Justice J. Uduch Sengebau Senior.
According to the National Science and Technology Council, the National Science and Technology Center for Disaster Reduction under its supervision and Palau’s National Emergency Management Office inked an agreement on disaster management capacity building and technology cooperation.
The NSTC said Taiwan will share its disaster-prevention experience, expertise and research with Palau and provide training programs and workshops to help the Indo-Pacific ally strengthen its preparedness.
Later the same day, Minister of Justice Tsai Ching-Hsiang and Uduch Sengebau Senior signed an agreement on mutual legal assistance in criminal matters that will enable the two sides to work as a joint investigation team to combat transnational crimes such as gambling and telecom fraud rings.
The two also concluded an MOU on forensic science collaboration. Under the pact, an official cooperation channel will be established to promote training and exchange of personnel so that Taiwan can help the island country build a better criminal justice system.
In a tweet on its official Twitter account, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said “#Taiwan & ally #Palau are working hand in hand to meet global challenges. 3 new pacts inked by the #IndoPacific partners mark closer cooperation in areas spanning #DisasterResilience, criminal justice & forensic science. We’re #StrongerTogether!” (SFC-E)
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