
Taipei, June 3 (CNA) President Lai Ching-te (賴清德) on Tuesday reaffirmed Taiwan's commitment to expanding existing cooperation with the Marshall Islands to include new areas such as education, sports and aviation.
Speaking ahead of a closed-door meeting with visiting Marshallese President Hilda Heine, Lai described the two countries as "truly a family" with close bonds formed through 27 years of collaboration in many fields, including health care, education, women's empowerment and climate action.
Given the rapidly changing geopolitical and economic outlook, Lai said Taiwan was hopeful that the two sides continue "to deepen their partnership and build an even closer cooperative relationship."
Lai said he also looked forward to seeing further bilateral collaboration following the signing of a memorandum of understanding and a letter of intent to broaden cooperation in sports, education, and aviation later in the meeting.
"Taiwan will take concrete action to work with the Marshall Islands and...[write] a new chapter in our diplomatic partnership," he said.
Heine, who arrived in Taiwan on Monday for a six-day visit, expressed similar views, describing the bilateral ties as "special" and "enduring" and reiterated her government's backing of Taiwan's participation in the international community.

The Marshall Islands is one of the 12 states in the world to have formal diplomatic relations with the Republic of China (Taiwan). The two side established ties in 1998.
Heine also thanked Taiwan for its continued support for Marshallese national development, particularly in health, education, agriculture and climate resilience.
The meeting followed a welcome ceremony held outside the Presidential Office to greet the 19-member delegation led by Heine with a display of military honors.
Other members of the delegation include First Gentleman Thomas Kijiner, Jr., President of the Council of Iroij Lanny Kabua, Minister of Foreign Affairs Kalani Kaneko, and Minister of Finance David Paul, among others.
- Society
Temperature in Taipei's Shilin District soars past 37°C on Sunday
06/15/2025 01:32 PM - Society
Taiwan headline news
06/15/2025 12:18 PM - Business
TSMC market share rises to 67.6% in Q1: TrendForce
06/14/2025 09:29 PM - Cross-Strait
Taiwanese risk citizenship loss over China 'border tourism passports': MAC
06/14/2025 09:21 PM - Culture
Academia Sinica eyes Ph.D applicants amid U.S. uncertainty
06/14/2025 09:08 PM