Marshall Islands education minister visits Taiwan

Taipei, July 2 (CNA) Joe Bejang, the education, sports, and training minister of the Marshall Islands arrived in Taiwan on Tuesday for a five-day stay, during which he will sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) on expanded cooperation in several fields.

In a statement issued Tuesday, Taiwan's Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) said Bejang will meet with Foreign Minister Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) and Education Minister Cheng Ying-yao (鄭英耀), and will sign the (MOU) with Lin on Wednesday.

The agreement will cover enhanced collaboration between Taiwan and the Marshall Islands on education and sports and expanded exchanges on Austronesian cultural research, language teacher training, and volunteer dispatching, MOFA said.

Bejang will also meet with Marshallese students in Taiwan, visit Ming Chuan University, the National Center for Traditional Arts, and the National Human Rights Museum, MOFA said.

The visit is Bejang's first to Taiwan since he assumed his post in January 2024 as part of a new government.

The Marshall Islands is one of 12 countries in the world that formally recognize the Republic of China (Taiwan's formal name). The two countries established relations in 1998.