President William Lai (賴清德) yesterday told the Palauan National Congress that Taiwan and the Pacific Island nation were “democratic bastions” and should cooperate further to bring prosperity to both countries.
“Taiwan and Palau are both important democratic bastions in the fight against the expansion of authoritarianism,” Lai said, adding that the two nations had championed the values of democracy and freedom.
In addition, Taiwan and Palau, which celebrated the 25th anniversary of formal diplomatic ties this year, have had fruitful exchanges in the areas of climate change response, education, business and tourism, Lai said.
Photo: CNA
The president thanked the Palauan legislature for its longstanding support for Taiwan’s international participation, which had paved the way for his country to contribute to global issues such as public health, climate change, aviation safety and transnational crimes.
He also revealed a new aid project for the Pacific ally, saying that Taiwan would support the Palauan legislature in improving its audiovisual and cybersecurity equipment and installing an electronic voting system.
Lai hoped the project would serve as a “model” for the South Pacific in its pursuit of digital transformation and bring prosperity to the people of both Taiwan and Palau.
Photo: CNA
The address followed a bilateral talk between Lai and Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr at the latter’s office.
Lai arrived in Palau yesterday afternoon for the last stop of his weeklong South Pacific tour, which also included stops in the US state of Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Guam.
Lai, who embarked on his first overseas trip as president on Nov. 30, was to return home this evening.
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