Vice President Lai Ching-te conducted a video call with Palau President Surangel S. Whipps, Jr. Jan. 17 from Taipei City, in which he vowed to continue expanding cooperation across the board to demonstrate the resilience of the allies’ valuable partnerships.
Lai first thanked Whipps for the congratulations on his election as the next president. The result demonstrates the regard that the people of Taiwan have for their democracy, he said, adding that the country will keep working closely with Palau.
Taiwan looks forward to enhancing existing bilateral collaborations with Palau in areas including agriculture, climate change, green energy, infrastructure, public health and women’s empowerment, Lai said. He added that the two countries are unified by their commitment to democracy and invited the Palauan president to attend his inauguration, set for May.
In response, Whipps said he looks forward to the occasion and also welcomed Lai to visit Palau as a president.
This year Taiwan and Palau are celebrating the 25th anniversary of their diplomatic relations, Whipps continued. He expressed appreciation for Lai’s efforts to promote the two countries’ tourism and economic resilience, citing the travel bubble initiative in 2021 and the relaunch of direct flights announced by Lai during his 2022 visit to Palau.
Whipps added that his country will continue standing in solidarity with Taiwan to jointly uphold democracy and the rule of law. (YCH-E)
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