President Lai addresses Palauan legislature, highlights democracy

Ngerulmud, Palau, Dec. 5 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) told the Palauan National Congress on Thursday that both Taiwan and the Pacific Island nation were "democratic bastions" and that he looked forward to continued cooperation to bring prosperity to both countries.

"Taiwan and Palau are both important democratic bastions in the fight against the expansion of authoritarianism," Lai said as he addressed the legislature, 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.

The president thanked the Palauan legislature for its longstanding support for Taiwan's international participation, which he said 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.

He added that Taiwan hopes the project will 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.

The address followed a bilateral talk between Lai and Palauan President Surangel Whipps Jr. at the latter's office.

Lai arrived in Palau on Thursday afternoon (local time) for the last stop of his weeklong South Pacific tour, which also included stops in the U.S. state of Hawaii, the Marshall Islands, Tuvalu and Guam.

Lai, who embarked on his first overseas trip as president on Nov. 30 (Taipei time), will return home on Friday evening.