Taiwan donated two patrol boats to Tuvalu on Tuesday as part of a cooperation plan to strengthen the Pacific island nation’s ability to patrol its waters, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs said on Wednesday.
The naming and handover ceremony of the vessels took place on Tuesday in Pingtung County, and was attended by Tuvaluan Prime Minister Feleti Teo, who was also present at President William Lai’s (賴清德) inauguration ceremony a day before, the ministry said in a statement.
Taiwan and Tuvalu signed a contract in July last year in which Taiwan pledged to donate the two vessels to the Pacific ally, the statement showed.
Photo courtesy of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs
Ambassador to Tuvalu Andrew Lin (林東亨) handed over the two vessels to Teo, who then announced the patrol boats were named Te Kaleva and Te Akiaki, both are the name of birds native to Tuvalu and mean “perseverance” and “abundant catch” respectively.
Teo thanked Taiwan’s efforts in enhancing Tuvalu’s maritime patrol capabilities and strengthening its marine ecological conservation, the ministry statement said.
He also said that the two countries have promoted various collaborative projects based on the universal values of democracy, freedom and the rule of law, which have brought significant results.
Taiwan and Tuvalu signed an “Agreement Between the Government of the Republic of China (Taiwan) and the Government of the Tuvalu on Coast Guard Cooperation” in September 2022 to work together on coast guard development and the prevention of maritime transnational crime.
The ministry said Taiwan would continue to expand its cooperation with Pacific allies and like-minded countries.
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