President Tsai Ing-wen said Nov. 8 that relations between the Republic of China (Taiwan) and Caribbean diplomatic ally Haiti are going from strength to strength and she looks forward to bilateral exchanges expanding across a broad spectrum of areas.
The two nations share a strong partnership based on over six decades of official ties, Tsai said. It is anticipated this mutually beneficial friendship will serve as a solid foundation upon which the ROC and Haiti can cultivate new opportunities for collaboration, she added.
Tsai made the remarks while receiving an eight-member delegation from Haiti at the Office of the President in Taipei City. Headed by Youri Latortue, president of the Haitian senate, the group is in country Nov. 7-11 on a cultural, economic and political fact-finding visit.
The president said since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1956, the ROC and Haiti have carried out a great number of successful collaborative projects spanning agriculture, economy and trade, education, health and medical care, and infrastructure. It is expected the two countries will continue working together in these areas so as to achieve more win-win results, she added.
This healthy state of affairs is further illustrated by the response of the ROC government and Taiwan nongovernmental organizations to natural disasters in Haiti. Following the magnitude 7.0 earthquake that struck Jan. 12, 2010, in and around the Haitian capital Port-au-Prince and much of southern Haiti, the country offered assistance with relief efforts, post-disaster reconstruction and agriculture and public health programs.
According to Tsai, Haiti’s unwavering support for Taiwan’s meaningful participation in U.N. system agencies such as the International Civil Aviation Organization is deeply appreciated by the government and people. She also praised Haitian President Jovenel Moise for backing Taiwan during his address at the New York-headquartered world body’s General Assembly in September. (KWS-E)
Write to Taiwan Today at ttonline@mofa.gov.tw